Nike Considered

Nike Considered is an initiative to produce a sustainable athletic shoe using less energy, producing less waste, and requiring fewer chemicals, while still offering unparalleled performance, cushioning and style, in a blend of innovation and conservation.

Increasing the use of water-based solvents, working to keep greenhouse gas emissions in check, supporting organic cotton and turning old shoes into new sports surfaces, are some of the measures Nike has introduced over the past decade, and Nike Considered is a central part of the next chapter of Nike’s corporate responsibility evolution.

The innovation drives toward two long-term aspirations: to eliminate waste and to eliminate toxic substances. Nike footwear teams use a Sustainability Index to assess progress toward reaching these goals, and reviewing the Index is now standard operating procedure.

Working closely with material suppliers and design teams, Nike is voluntarily phasing out PVC, a material linked to a host of environmental concerns, from its brand products. Using water-based adhesives, the company has reduced the use of chemical organic solvents by about 95 percent and is pushing to reduce petroleum-based adhesives in footwear. Nike has also developed an environmentally preferred rubber that reduces toxics 96% by weight. The rubber is a direct substitute for one of Nike’s most common rubber formulations that comprises approximately 50% of Nike branded footwear’s rubber usage.

In an effort to reduce waste, Nike has developed waste management programs so that today about 60% of manufacturing waste is diverted from the landfill. The program includes closed loop materials (factory waste from one product is collected and reprocessed into the same material), elimination of all on-site incineration and extensive waste recycling programs.

According to John Hoke, Nike’s vice president of Footwear Creative Design and co-director of the Considered team, “Considered is a product line, and it’s also the driving force and ethos behind a newly established team committed to integrating sustainable product innovation across all Nike branded product.”

To view the Nike Considered Footwear line see:
http://www.nike.com/nikebiz/nikeconsidered/products.jhtml

Source: http://www.nike.com/nikebiz/nikeconsidered/

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