Footwear giant Allbirds has launched what it claims is an “industry-first” collection of shoes made from Modern Meadow’s cow-free leather alternative.
Allbirds may be closing all its US stores, but the global footwear company continues to bet on sustainability.
Its new Terralux collection is built on Innovera, a material made by New Jersey startup Modern Meadow, which turns plant-based proteins, biopolymers, and post-consumer recycled nylon from end-of-life tyres into animal-free leather.
The three-strong Terralux collection includes two of Allbirds’s newest and best-selling styles, Cruiser and Varsity, as well as the Runner NZ, an evolution of the Wool Runner silhouette that launched the brand over a decade ago.
“Terralux marks an important evolution for Allbirds,” said Jason Israel, VP of design at Allbirds. “Innovera allowed us to achieve the look and feel of leather in a bio-based material, opening the door to more elevated, versatile footwear – while still delivering on our comfort and sustainability promise.”
Modern Meadow makes footwear debut
Modern Meadow’s leather alternative features over 80% renewable carbon content and is designed to replicate the look and feel of collagen, the base ingredient for leather. It’s finished in conventional tanneries using the same treatment and dying processes as the animal-derived counterpart.
Innovera requires no special preservation or storage conditions, reducing its complexity and costs. In addition, it’s adaptable to any standard manufacturing process, with its commercial production capabilities making Innovera readily available to customers across the furniture, fashion, footwear, accessories, and automotive industries.
The Allbirds partnership marks Innovera’s footwear debut. The footwear collection is described as “lightweight, bouncy and wildly comfortable”, and can deliver “sneaker-level comfort” without the stiffness often associated with leather.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Allbirds to bring Innovera into footwear,” said Modern Meadow CEO David Williamson. “With our shared commitment to create high-performance, beautifully aesthetic products that minimise our impact on the planet, we both continue to meet the growing consumer demand for responsibility and transparency without compromising.”
Producing leather is an energy– and water-intensive process linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss, and generates lots of hazardous chemicals during tanning, which are a detriment to human health. Synthetic leather, though, has its own problems. It’s usually derived from plastic, which takes 20 to 500 years to break down and decompose and is responsible for 3.4% of global emissions.
Allbirds looks to extend sustainability streak with Innovera-fuelled footwear
The Cruiser Terralux is available for both men and women, while the others are designed exclusively for men, and each of the ranges comes in three colourways.
Allbirds said the integration of Innovera into its lineup reinforced its “long-standing commitment to sustainable materials innovation”. The company is working to reduce its carbon footprint to near zero and has been supporting nature-based carbon removal projects.
It also eschews petroleum-derived materials where possible, has previously created a carbon footprint label for all its products, and open-sourced its version of an emissions calculator for the fashion industry. Plus, Allbirds operates ReRun, a marketplace for “slightly imperfect and gently used” products to lower waste and extend their life.
Modern Meadow has supplied its Innovera material for a variety of products, spanning automotive interiors, premium wallets, tech accessories, and luxury handbags. For instance, Mercedes-Benz created a leather alternative for its tech programme, Concept AMG GT XX, in collaboration with the brand, and Bellroy launched a range of tech iPhone and AirPod cases (among other accessories) with Innovera.
It is one of several biotech startups working on sustainable leather. Ecovative and MycoWorks are both focusing on mycelium, and Uncaged Innovations leverages proteins from grain byproducts. Faircraft and Qorium, for their part, are making cell-based leather.
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