Helping Protect the Future of Sport for All Athletes*

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 toward climate action.

Mark Parker
Executive Chairman of Nike

All Nike Air soles designed since 2008 contain at least 50% recycled manufacturing waste and are made with 100% renewable energy. We reuse more than 90% of the waste from materials used for our Air soles to make new, innovative cushioning systems.

Nike Flyknit is precision-engineered with an average of 60% less waste than traditional footwear upper manufacturing. 10 million pounds of waste have been diverted from landfills since 2012, including over 600 million water bottles in the fabrication of Flyknit.

Nike Flyleather, made with at least 50% recycled leather fiber, is produced through an innovative process with a smaller carbon footprint versus traditional leather manufacturing. Because it is produced on a roll, Nike Flyleather improves cutting efficiency and creates less waste than traditional cut-and-sew methods for full-grain leather.

Made from recycled plastic bottles, recycled polyester reduces waste and reduces carbon emissions by approximately 30% compared to virgin polyester. Since 2010, Nike has diverted more than 7 billion plastic bottles from landfills.

Our goal is to use 100% sustainable cotton by 2020. That means using certified organic, recycled and Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) licensed cotton. These materials use less water and fewer chemicals, improve farming practices and provide the same or better quality than conventionally grown cotton.

Combining recycled polyester and organic cotton creates a performance material that reduces carbon emissions and uses less water and chemicals than virgin polyester blends with conventionally grown cotton.

Waste should not be wasted. Recycle your sneakers and transform them into Nike Grind material, used in performance products and sport surfaces.

Limited resources demand we rethink the ways in which we live. We envision a future where waste doesn’t exist, and materials can be used and reused to their highest potential—that’s why we created a Circular Design Guide.