What is the Nike products footprint? "They could put a shoe on the moon"
Nike's extensive efforts for the environment can be traced back to criticism of sweatshops, the same ones that muddied the company in the 90s.
In 1998, Phil Knight, the company's founder and later chief executive, acknowledged the criticism in a headline-grabbing speech. The company thus committed to a series of reforms, including the establishment of more targets for the sake of the environment.
Since 2001, Nike has regularly published its corporate responsibility reports, which provide detailed information about its factories, workforce and sustainability efforts.
One of the biggest milestones regarding its materials has been to eliminate greenhouse gases from Nike's popular Air technology, the cushioning system used by many of its shoes.
Nike products footprint
"It took 60 experts working for 50 different organizations and millions of dollars in investments to eliminate greenhouse gases," Nike said, in this regard, in the reports covering fiscal years 2004 and 2006.
In this struggle, the company also stacked solar panels on corporate buildings; placed wind turbines in distribution centers; reduced shoe boxes and printed receipts on biodegradable paper.
Those actions have been worthwhile, but not enough to offset the emissions from Nike's extensive network of contract factories that are judge and party in the manufacture of its products.
Nike estimated that nearly 99% of its emissions came from factories it didn't own, also known as Scope 3 emissions, a common problem for multinationals trying to reduce carbon footprints.
In addition, it recognized the need to delve deeper than ever into its supply chain, as reflected in its most recent corporate responsibility report.
Nike products footprint statements
The multinational has strived to achieve absolute emission reductions, rather than reducing the amount of carbon per product.
"These factors create a set of objectives that become more difficult to achieve, as our business grows," they acknowledge.
Faced with this, smaller sneaker brands see an opportunity where Nike has struggled.
This is the case of Rommel Vega, who designed sneakers for brands with a sustainable mindset such as Columbia, Keen and Merrell before launching Holo, his own line of sustainable sneakers.
He considers the footwear industry to be at the point where the automotive industry was a few years ago. In the air, the case of Tesla emerges that when it broke into the industry the business giants rushed to prioritize more sustainable electric vehicles, including Ford, which now manufactures an electric F-150.
Of course, Nike, first of all, has a competitive advantage.
"Money is needed. They have all the resources in the world. They could put a shoe on the moon, if they wanted to."
Nike products footprint summary
- Leather is one of the materials for the manufacture of footwear with the highest carbon footprint.
- Its use in Nike increased by 35% last year due to the booming demand for iconic footwear, such as Jordan or Dunks models.
- Despite the fact that Nike's goal is to reduce its footprint by 10%, its products have not changed their proportion in the last 5 years.
