Allbirds is expanding its flock.
The San Francisco-based brand behind the “world’s most comfortable shoes” released Thursday its own take on an iconic silhouette: the ballet flat.
The $95 Tree Breezers come in four breezily named limited-edition colors—marine indigo, starfish grey, Caribbean blue and seashell pink—and, for the first time in Allbird’s history, half sizes.
Like their name implies, the flats are part of the company’s Tree range, which Allbirds clads in “breathable and silky smooth” Tencel lyocell made from responsibly harvested eucalyptus tree fiber.
The insoles are lined with the firm’s signature New Zealand merino wool for its soft hand and moisture-wicking and odor-reduction properties, along with castor bean oil (in lieu of petroleum-based foam) for lower-impact yet “supreme” comfort and cushioning.
For outsoles, the company turned to SweetFoam, a proprietary “carbon negative” EVA, derived from Brazilian sugarcane, that captures 2.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide for every metric ton of material grown and processed using renewable energy.
“A step above casual without getting too serious, the Tree Breezers help you slip into flexible comfort while you seize the day, night and everything in between,” Allbirds described on its website, adding that the shoes are machine washable.
Tencel, according to Allbirds, is a “low-carbon” material that aligns with the brand’s efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in its supply chain. “Compared to traditional materials like cotton, it uses 95 percent less water and cuts our carbon footprint in half,” it wrote.
The Silicon Valley favorite announced in April its decision to impose a “carbon tax” on itself as part of its bid to become 100 percent carbon neutral by the end of the year. Allbirds determined, through a life-cycle assessment, that it costs 10 cents to offset the 10 kilograms of carbon a single pair of shoes generates during manufacturing.
An Allbirds Carbon Fund will funnel this money into eco-friendly initiatives such as planting trees, building solar and wind facilities and recapturing methane from landfill and livestock operations.
“It’s almost like we’re giving the planet an IOU, then immediately paying it back,” the company noted.