Nike is one of the latest multinational brands to launch sustainably-made sneakers. They’re a part of their new sneaker collection that will debut this spring or ‘Space Hippie’.
This collection will offer several vegan, sustainable sneakers that are created using recycled waste from plastic bottles and textile waste.
They’re promoting them as their collection with the lowest carbon footprint. The sneakers’ cushioning is made from 15 percent rubber and 100 percent reprocessed foam.
The flyknit-base is at least 85 percent rPoly and recycled plastic bottles, T-shirts, and yarn scraps.
This helps them lower half of their usual carbon emissions from the conventional sneaker foams.
Artifact from Nature & Low Carbon Footprint
The collection offers 4 different designs and they’re named Space Hippie 01, 02, 03, and 04. They used material from the company’s factory floors too.
The chief design officer of the company, John Hoke, said that the collection is an artifact from nature and it’s about figuring out how to make the best and the most using least material, least energy, and least carbon.
Nike is also leading a campaign called Move to Zero because they’re striving towards a goal of zero carbon emissions and zero waste. They also aim to bring in more sustainable materials in their production line and supply chain.
Their VP of sustainable innovation, Seana Hannah said that they firmly believe that Nike’s future is circular.
They need to think about the whole process- how they design it, how they make it, how they use it, how they reuse it, and how they reduce their waste at each step.
Following Other Brand’s Footsteps
This decision to launch sustainable footwear is a signal of the ongoing change in the fashion industry– there’ve been similar moves by the sportswear Adidas who pledged to use recycled polyester and plastic waste for more than 50 percent of their products this year.
Reebok, their subsidiary, made new, vegan, and petroleum-free sneakers- the Forever Floatride GROW.
Brands are trying to accommodate the growing consumer demand for eco-friendly alternatives, considering the global planet problems we’re facing like pollution, plastic waste, carbon emissions, etc.
The fashion industry is a major contributor to these problems- according to the Ellen McArthur Foundation and the UN FAO.
The making of fashion products like clothing, accessories, and footwear is responsible for 10 percent of the global greenhouse emissions and creates huge textile waste thrown in landfills every second.
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