Sustainable, B-corp company, Allbirds, has introduced a new material to its line made from sugarcane.
First gaining recognition for sustainably-made runners produced from NZ Merino wool, the business has since introduced an environmentally-friendly tree material to its portfolio.
Now, a third green material has made its way to the market. Called SweetFoam, the material is the world's first environmentally-friendly, carbon negative EVA.
EVA - a widely used, highly elastic, waterproof, rubber-like material - is often used in soles of shoes to provide comfort, support, flexibility and shock-absorption.
EVA, like many plastics, is derived from petroleum, therefore making it harmful to the environment.
However, Allbirds' SweetFoam originates from renewable sugarcane from Southern Brazil.
The crop grows using minimal fertiliser and is processed in facilities that use 100% renewable power.
Allbirds co-founder, Joey Zwillinger, said that the SweetFoam took years of research to come to fruition.
"EVA is one of the most widely used components in footwear, and this is the first time since its inception that it has been made from a renewable resource.
"After years of research, we are proud to introduce this into our products and to the industry in a broad and meaningful way."
Allbirds will make the green-EVA technology available to the entire footwear industry though open-source product development. The company wants other footwear businesses to follow its lead and take up the opportunity to use sustainable materials in their shoes.
Allbirds CEO and co-founder, Tim Brown, said that the introduction of this new technology is helping to solve the bigger problem around sustainability in footwear and the larger fashion industry.
"We’ve got a long way to go. This was never about just wool or just shoes.
"There’s a bigger thing at play, there’s a bigger problem to solve, and I feel like with the introduction of SweetFoam we’re really gaining momentum around that."
The first application of the SweetFoam has come in Allbirds' new thongs called Sugar Zeffers, which launched August 1.
The thongs are available in a range of colours and customers can mix-and-match straps.
The Sugar Zeffers retail for $55 on the Allbirds website, but have already sold out.
For more information on Allbirds, click here.