Nike
Possibility
Power
Process
Place
Nike excels in marketing. No company does branding quite like Nike, to the point where the company has turned into a household name all over the world, and most people own at least one Nike product. Nike associates with the biggest names in sports, such as Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, and Tiger Woods
How & To What Scale
Who & Where
Nike is an American corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon.
With some recycled materials being present in 1/3 of Nike’s products, it is an industry trailblazer for sustainability. The Nike Air range of sneakers uses at least 50% recycled materials and diverts more than 95% of waste from landfills. Nike released a range of sneakers dyed with plant-based dyes, which reduces pollution of waterways. The team at Nike experimented with natural dye techniques, using local berries and roots to color different fabrics. Two years of research and experiments resulted in the Nike Plant Color Collection. Nike’s North American operations aim to be entirely powered by renewable energy by the end of 2019.
What are they doing?
Nike transformed 54 million pounds of factory scrap into premium materials used in its apparel and footwear in fiscal year 15 as part of its Closed Loop Ecosystem
Nike has also been using new technology in its factories that dye polyester without the use of water and chemicals which both save 60% of energy and improves speed by 40%
Nike has reduced its dependence on weather-prone crops like cotton and is incorporating more recycled polyester into its apparel
Nike has been collaborating with MIT to “engage industries, designers and consumers in valuing, demanding and adopting low-impact fabrics and textiles” with support from their MAKING app which helps producers and designers to evaluate their material choices in the context of the environment
Nike has set bold goals like “Zero waste from contract footwear manufacturing going to landfill or incineration without energy recovery by fiscal year 20” and “100% renewable energy in owned or operated facilities by the end of fiscal year 25" all while almost doubling sales
Deliver products for maximum performance with minimum impact, with a 10% reduction in the average environmental footprint
Increase use of more sustainable materials
Source 100% of their cotton more sustainably (certified organic, Better Cotton Initiative, or recycled) across NIKE by the end of the calendar year 2020
Goals
Since 2008, all Nike Air soles are composed of at least 50% recycled manufacturing waste. Released in FY18, the Nike Air Max 270 air sole contains more than 70% recycled manufacturing waste
Successes
Successes
Nike has enforced its contract manufacturers to cut their energy usage in half over the course of the last 8 years