Since its start in November 2017, ACBC – Anything Can Be Changed has always pursued a single great goal: to produce sustainable accessories and footwear through not only its own collections, but by also creating capsule collections with important names in high fashion, while promoting more conscious consumption and purchasing habits. The business model of the brand is in fact oriented towards the B2B and B2C markets, with a special focus on all Fashion and Sportswear brands that would like to start down a pathway of sustainable production with the creation of dedicated capsule collections. ACBC’s collection of products offers a sustainable alternative to end customers in search of more environmentally aware products. Continuous research and development are aimed primarily at the composition of the materials, while respecting three fundamental characteristics: being animal-free, bio-based, and recycled. In addition to representing an important player in the world of sustainability, ACBC also believes in the principle of circularity: the shoes created, once their life cycle is over, can in fact be returned to the company and subsequently converted into shockproof flooring for playgrounds.
An important international recognition regarding ACBC’s commitment to mankind and the environment arrived in March 2021, when the Milan company became the first Italian footwear company to obtain B Corp certification, thereby joining a vast network of companies whose goal is to spread a business paradigm more evolved and in step with the times and who are actively and concretely committed to sustainability.
That’s not all: starting in September 2021, two new flagship stores were opened in Amsterdam and Beijing, increasing the presence of the brand on the international market. Additionally, in keeping with its continuous research and development, ACBC launched BeyondPlastic™, the green innovation that will change the production of heels for footwear, while completely eliminating traditional fossil fuel materials. The new heel was exclusively developed in collaboration with Tacchificio Del Brenta and is produced with bio-based materials derived from microorganisms, castor beans and oyster shell waste.
At the same time, ACBC – in collaboration with ClimatePartner (a reality that offers companies solutions for the climate) – launched the “Sustainability as a Service” programme, which offers the possibility of measuring the impact of luxury and sportswear products with the aim of reducing the Carbon Footprint and increasing awareness about the effects of production activities.
Reinforcing its position, was also the choice of ACBC to take part this year in the March edition of MICAM Milano, with its presence in the new Green Zone area dedicated to a sustainable approach. Here, ACBC presented its FW22 collection, along with the different lines developed in partnership with some of the most well-known and important brands on the international scene, including Philippe Model, Alexander Smith, Save The Duck, GEOX, Malìparmi, Northwave, Rewoolution, Piquadro and Pantofola D’oro.
Over the last two years, ACBC has in fact attracted the attention of leading brands in luxury fashion and sportswear, developing various green capsule collection with brands of the calibre of Missoni, EA7, Boggi Milano, La Martina, LoveMoschino, and Diadora. Today, ACBC is a Sustainable partner to 28 brands.
“We are proud of the success achieved in these first four years of life for ACBC, and this is just the beginning. The continuous trust placed in us by top players in national and international fashion have encouraged us to improve ourselves day after day, thanks to our continuous research and development of materials and technologies”, confirmed Gio Giacobbe, CEO of ACBC.
Evergreen by ACBC
This Italian company’s top sneaker with a bold character is developed using green and innovative materials. In particular, the White Hemp model features an upper and laces entirely made from hemp – a natural fibre that has no need of pesticides, and which does not require large amounts of water in order to grow.
Zipshoe
Zipshoe was developed for a sustainable future following the principles of eco design. The modular structure in fact allows for different sneakers to be created using a single sole. From one end, we find the sole – modular, reusable, and machine washable, thereby minimizing its environmental impact – which can be combined with several uppers, each one different from the other, that are directly attached to the base with a zip system, making the shoe completely customisable.
ACBC x GEOX
Characterised by an elegant and dynamic design, these sneakers feature an upper in FreeBio™, an alternative to animal skin made using recycled materials and natural fillers like wood pulp and calcium carbonate, matched with a sole (waterproof and breathable as is true of all GEOX models) made from ReEVA, a compound that reduces the quantity of EVA by blending it with post-productive recycled rubber. The insole is instead made from Recycled Foam and the inside is in ReCotton, obtained from the recycling of old cotton fabrics or production scraps. The sneakers include two lace alternatives – in jute fibre that is 100% recyclable and in ReBotilia, a material derived from recycled PET bottles. Completely sustainable is also the packaging, in FSC certified cardboard.
ACBC x Malìparmi
The REVOLUTION sneaker project proposes three sustainable models that are 100% animal-free and created using the ‘four hands’ of the Malìparmi and ACBC style teams. We find REBEL, the vintage sneaker with a rebellious soul, characterised by a mix of materials: froissé crushed velvet, Re-Botilia, Vegan skin, small stitched contrasting details, and multicolour beads on laces. Next is REMIX, a running shoe featuring a mix of prints and colours, with an upper in Re-Botilia and Eco-suede showcasing the printed graphics of the collection, while the letter “M” of the brand’s logo appears on the side of the sneaker. Last, but not least, is RENEW, the timeless sneaker with a clean design, completely in single-colour Re-Botilia, which surprises with its printed inner lining and the M written on the side of the shoe with two-tone stitching.
ACBC x Missoni
History and tradition from one end and sustainability and ethics from the other end, come together in the new Basket ’90 shoe inspired by a timeless jewel coming from the archives of the haute couture maison. Proposed in a low-top and high-top version, it is characterised by unmistakable elements that are a trademark of Missoni, including its bright colours, logo, and the legendary zigzag designs of the brand, which are matched with sustainable materials meticulously selected by ACBC. The material of the upper is in fact made from fruit waste, the inner lining from recycled plastic bottles, while the sole, which has been completely personalised for this project, is in rubber and materials derived from corn, thus guaranteeing the circularity of the shoe and a lower environmental impact.
ACBC x Save The Duck
Save The Duck, a company that received B Corp certification in 2019 and which became part of the UN Global Compact network in 2020, has rediscovered its very own values in ACBC. From this combined interest is born “Paw”, the first ACBC x Save The Duck sneaker, with upper made from faux leather with 50% recycled content and rubber sole with 10% recycled material (even if a sole with levels close to 100% recycled material is currently under development).
ACBC x Rewoolution
The first collaboration between ACBC and Rewoolution, the Italian brand of activewear and point of reference for athletes, professionals, and lovers of mountains and the great outdoors. The result of this collaboration is the high performance, cruelty-free, and bio-based “WOOLFLYER” specially design for soft performance activities that respect nature. The unisex model of the capsule collection features a sole in EVA and AlgaFoam, a foam derived from algae, while the upper is in technical fabric made using ZQRX Merino Wool, which is ethically and sustainably certified.