A Danish upstart called Elliott Footwear claims to have designed the world’s first climate-positive sneaker collection.
The line, which is available exclusively through crowdfunding site Indiegogo, includes casual sneaker styles for men and women crafted from vegan leather and recycled canvas. In a release, Elliott’s founder and designer, Mikkel Bang, said the production of each pair of shoes actually removes one metric ton of CO-2 emissions.
“In the past year we have researched and gone through numerous iterations of our collection,” he said. “Now we are finally ready with a product born from a fundamental passion for climate and design.”
Bang explained that the company is taking action against climate change by using “thoroughly EU-certified materials” and working with exemplary strategic partners.
Elliott shoes feature a vulcanized outsole made from recycled rubber, eco-friendly vegan leather and recycled fabric laces. The canvas models are made entirely from recycled fabrics in facilities powered by solar energy, using little water.
The product is produced in Spain, along with its vegan leather, canvas and rubber components. This cuts down on CO-2 emissions by limiting the transport of materials across long distances, the brand said in a statement.
While Elliott is the first footwear brand to claim a climate-positive impact, it follows in the footsteps of other industry pioneers who have vowed to cut carbon.
Brands like AllBirds have been at the forefront of the fight to reduce emissions through material innovations and factory processes, as well as a recently-implemented “carbon tax” that the brand is imposing on itself. The company will pay to remove from the atmosphere the equivalent of every metric ton of carbon dioxide it produces using carbon offsets.
Still, AllBirds admits that buying carbon offsets are only a starting point in the race toward carbon neutrality. That makes Elliott’s claim of a full-blown climate-positive footprint all the more compelling.
Each pair of high and low-top Elliott sneakers retails for $89 on the Indiegogo platform. At publication time, the brand had raised $6,050–43 percent of its $14,000 fundraising goal with 22 days to go in the campaign.