Allbirds – Claire Goydan – 2021

Goals

Claire Goydan joined Allbirds as its first EDF Climate Corps fellow. Allbirds, a certified B Corp pioneering natural material innovation in footwear, published five-year sustainability goals which included decarbonizing their supply chain through 100% renewable energy across offices, retail stores, distribution centers, and manufacturing locations. The company’s load is small and geographically dispersed. Given these factors, the main objective of the fellowship was to develop a comprehensive approach to renewable energy procurement across facilities and geographies.

Solutions

After engaging cross-functional teams and external experts, Goydan created a database of current Allbirds facilities, electricity usage, and renewable energy commitments for inventorying and tracking purposes. Goydan also assessed how energy usage might change over time given sales and facilities projections, and estimated the cost of various renewable energy procurement options. Goydan then authored a guidance document to define the renewable energy goal further, to analyze procurement options across facilities and geographies, and to outline additional recommendations and opportunities for strategic engagement on energy efficiency, thermal energy, and supply chain partnerships.  

Potential Impact

Allbirds intends to use Goydan’s recommendations to continue to forge strategic partnerships to use renewable electricity across the supply chain. The tool and guidance document will track electricity consumption to identify and prioritize facilities for engagement on renewable energy in line with a company goal of 100% renewable energy by 2025.