Leading sportswear brands like On, Columbia, and Allbirds trust Carbonfact to untangle the complex environmental impact of apparel and footwear, where every gram matters.

Understanding footwear impact requires granular data about each component’s material and mass. While apparel might use one or two materials, a single athletic shoe can contain up to 80 distinct components, each with their own weight and environmental impact. For sportswear brands balancing technical requirements with sustainability goals, this complexity has been a massive barrier – until now.

Through detailed analysis (even physically deconstructing shoes) Carbonfact has developed a comprehensive taxonomy of shoe components, from aglets to outsoles, along with bespoke emission factors. Secondary emission-factor datasets often underestimate footwear’s footprint, especially for innovative materials and processes that lack specific LCA data.

Here, precision is essential. For example, while many brands use generic injection-molding data as a proxy, Carbonfact’s precise modeling of processes like Autoclave midsole production reveals environmental impacts that can be up to 12 times higher than conventional methods.

“Our previous LCA tool was extremely labor-intensive. Carbonfact allowed us to reduce that manual work and transition all calculations to the platform. Additionally, Carbonfact’s uncertainty metric helps us prioritize data collection by identifying hotspots with the highest impact,” says Aileen Lerch, Director of Sustainability at Allbirds.

With CSRD deadlines approaching and data administration overtaking every CSR leader’s job, brands need to act now – whether for compliance or strategic sustainability initiatives. Carbonfact shows you exactly where to focus your data-collection efforts, saving time and enabling informed decisions about materials, processes, and suppliers.

Photo: Carbonfact