When we established Allbirds, we set out to create a purpose-native company built upon a system that leverages nature in a responsible way—every aspect of our company is woven together with this mission, fueling a thriving financial business. While many businesses see tension between profit and purpose, we see opportunity. We became a public benefit corporation (PBC) under Delaware law and earned our B Corporation (B Corp) certification in 2016, codifying how we take into account the impact our actions have on all of our stakeholders, including the environment, our flock of employees, communities, consumers, and investors. The more sustainable we are, the better we believe our products and business will be.
Environmental
We intend to reverse climate change through better business. We believe that climate change is an existential threat and the number one issue facing humanity and the global economy. Solving the climate crisis will require every constituent to do their part. How we address it collectively will define the future, not only for businesses but for all communities, governments, environments, and species. Climate change is a complex issue that can be summarized simply: the climate is changing because humans release too many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Our approach to addressing the climate impact of our business is scientific and data driven—we first measure, then reduce, and finally offset the entirety of our emissions.
With the Allbirds Flight Plan, our bold list of sustainability commitments, we plan to cut our footprint in half by 2025. Then reduce it to near zero by 2030. In the meantime, we’ll continue to be 100% carbon neutral and invite businesses everywhere to follow our lead.
Visit our our webpage to read about our approach to reversing climate change, as well as other environmental practices and commitments.
Social
Our Flock
Our thriving culture and talented employees, also known as our “flock,” have been critical in our success
- We are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and believe our success as a company depends on our ability to integrate tangible, measurable practices across our organization to ensure all perspectives and voices are heard.
- Support five global employee resource groups
- 38% of our Board of Directors identify as women
- As of June 30, 2021, 52% of our U.S. workforce (including retail employees) identified as women and 46% identified as people of color
- We are committed by 2025 to having women represent 50% of our global workforce and people of color represent 50% of our U.S. workforce. In leadership roles (Associate Director and above), our goal is to have at least 40% women and 40% people of color by 2025.
Our Supply Chain
We work hard to keep our supplier relationships robust, respectful, and resilient so that our partners can make a real difference in the drive toward innovation and lighter impact on the environment.
- Small, tight-knit supply chain. We maintain a small number of strategic suppliers, many of which have worked with Allbirds for multiple years, enabling us to build deep relationships and connections between our values and theirs.
- Responsible sourcing program. Our suppliers are subject to supply chain audits and risk assessments to ensure our partners are meeting the high standards we set.
- Third-party certifications. We rely on a carefully selected set of leading standards and certifications such as NZM’s ZQ certified wool, and FSC-certified fiber, rubber, and paper to ensure responsible sourcing of our materials.
Visit our “How We Operate” page to learn more about our supplier partnerships, including our Code of Conduct and Factory Audit & Evaluations criteria.
Our Customers
For too long the footwear and apparel industry has offered customers a false trade-off between sustainable products and great products. We offer great products that are also sustainable, and make it easy for our customers to understand the impact of the products they buy through our carbon footprint labels. In this way, as well as through our generous 30-day return policy, we believe we empower our customers to make purchasing decisions that make sense for them and the environment. We designed our vertical retail business strategy to provide more value to customers and make our products more accessible, removing the cost, friction, and barriers of wholesale distribution.
Our Community
A core tenet of our B Corporation, or B Corp, status is supporting the communities in which we operate.
We are always looking for opportunities to engage and uplift local communities. To name a few examples:
- Allgood Collective Ambassadors. We partnered with grassroots community activists who have joined forces in the Allbirds Allgood Collective and serve as brand ambassadors for us.
- Soles4Souls. When shoes are returned to Allbirds, we donate those that can’t go back onto the shelf to Soles4Souls. Soles4Souls works with partner organizations in developing countries. Since 2016, we have donated more than 225,000 pairs of shoes to Soles4Souls.
- Pensole. We teamed up with Pensole Academy, a footwear design academy, to launch the Better Responsible Design Program, an eight week online course that challenges aspiring product designers to redefine the category of sustainable footwear.
Governance
For Allbirds, Governance is not as a standalone pillar but a mechanism that provides concrete structure to our mission, vision, and values.