Nike Sustainability Actions

Choosing Our Materials

One of our biggest steps on our journey to zero carbon and zero waste is in choosing our materials because they account for more than 70% of any product's footprint. By reusing existing plastics, yarns and textiles, we significantly reduce our emissions.

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Recycled Polyester

Our recycled polyester is made from plastic bottles which are cleaned, shredded into flakes, converted into pellets and then spun into a high-quality yarn. In addition to reducing waste, recycled poly lowers carbon emissions by up to 30% compared to virgin poly, and diverts an average of 1 billion plastic bottles annually from landfills and waterways.

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Sustainable Cotton

As of 2020, 100% of the cotton we use across our entire product line is certified organic, recycled or Better Cotton sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative. We recycle more than 680,000 kilogrammes of cotton each year while caring for soil health and natural habitats, without fossil fuel-derived pesticides or synthetic fertilisers, and while respecting the rights of workers and farmers.

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Recycled Nylon

Our recycled nylon is transformed from a variety of materials, like carpet and used fish nets. The nylon is cleaned, sorted and converted into flakes, all before undergoing a chemical or mechanical recycling process. The new recycled nylon yarn reduces our carbon emissions by up to 50% compared to virgin nylon.

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Climate and Sport

If there is no planet, there is no sport. To understand how this affects all of us, we’ve partnered with expert researchers at the Climate Impact Lab to show the connection between a stable climate and athletic performance and the future of our playing field – planet earth. We know that with an athlete’s mindset: determination, persistence, and relentlessness, we can use the power of sport to move the world to climate action. We exist to serve athletes everywhere and that’s why we’re on a mission to protect the future of sport. Because protecting the future of sport means doing our part to protect the planet. Nike is taking climate action through Move to Zero, our journey towards a zero carbon, zero waste future.

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Circularity

"At Nike, we believe in the unlimited potential of athletes. We have an obligation to consider the complete design solution, inclusive of how we source it, make it, use it, return it, and, ultimately, how we reimagine it. Inspired by Global Fashion Agenda, we have created Circularity: Guiding the Future of Design. The guide and its related workbook share principles that support a universal call to action for our industry: We must all come together and have a more positive impact on our planet. Design has the opportunity to take on a powerful role in making the world a better place. Circularity puts us on a journey that focuses on achieving progress hour by hour, day by day, week by week, year by year. By focusing on progress and not perfection and by making better choices, we embrace the chance to reconsider our craft in hope that it forms a ground swell of change." — John Hoke, Chief Design Officer Nike

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Nike Grind

Twenty-five years ago, a revolutionary idea was born. To use the power of sport to create a zero waste future and healthier planet, demand that materials perform beyond a single use, and to do more with less. What began as a grassroots initiative that collected and recycled used shoes to create basketball courts is now a global sustainability innovation that spans the sport industry and beyond. Last year, Nike and Converse contract factories recycled over 3 million pounds of Grind rubber back into our footwear.

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Global Fashion Agenda

An essential part of creating a circular fashion system is to set up collection systems, integrate circular design, and consider how to manage end-of-use of garments. The GFA Textile Recycling Toolbox is a learning tool designed to support fashion brands and retailers who would like to increase the share of recycled post-consumer textile fibers in their production. Today, less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing.

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MaterialWise

Better chemistry is key to unlocking the economic potential of the circular economy. MaterialWise offers free access to the most extensive database of known hazards so that you can proactively eliminate ingredients that can contaminate future recycled feedstocks. Knowing what not to use is a good start, but wondering what to use instead? MaterialWise helps industry participants identify and evaluate safer alternatives with an innovative cost-sharing model that will ensure the value of material feedstocks being put into the market and avoid regrettable substitutions. MaterialWise can help you create essential building blocks for a safe and circular economy.

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