We’ve seen a rise in sustainable alternatives being used to design sneakers, such as mushroom mycelium and canine hair for the “Sneature”, as well as programs like Nike’s Refurbished initiative, that recycles used sneakers by fixing and reselling rather than throwing them out.
And now, Nike has taken another step forward, re imagining its Nike classics with new design approaches in the Nike Plant Cork Pack.
Featuring iconic silhouettes including the AF1, Blazer, Air Max and DBreak, the Plant Cork Pack is an example of exploratory materials, made with 20% recycled content. In line with their ‘Move to Zero’ journey, we’ve seen a full Nike revolution in the way they’re thinking about sustainability and design.
Each iconic style of the Nike Plant Cork Pack is made with 20% recycled content by weight, featuring cork and natural plant dyes. The story behind this shoe design is brought to life through botanical embroidery, scientific details and note about the country of origin.
The outsoles of each shoe are crafted from around 9% recycled cork by weight, a low-impact material that offers a new and innovative approach to footwear design. Partially sourced from the wine industry, the cork is infused in the rubber to create a natural look and feel that lowers the overall impact of the outsole material.
This is a super clever move by Nike, utilising a material that is often discarded and wasted as an alternative to a portion of rubber. Cork is not only sustainable but also aesthetically sleek.
Nike’s Move to Zero journey has the label up for a zero-carbon and zero-waste future with the hopes it will help protect the future of sport against climate change.
Nike has released key commitments as part of its Move to Zero journey, hopefully targeting these by 2025. They’re a great example of a big fashion company that are implementing real sustainable change in their product design.
Key commitments from Nike’s 2025 targets:
- 100% waste diverted from landfill in extended supply chain with at least 80% recycled back into Nike products and other goods, such as the Crater Impact.
- 10% waste reduction per unit in manufacturing, distribution, headquarters, and packaging through improved design and operational efficiency
- 10x the amount of finished product waste refurbished, recycled, or donated
For more information on Nike’s Move to Zero journey you can view the Nike FY20 Impact Report. Â
The Nike Plant Cork Pack will be available in select Nike retailers this season. We’ll keep you posted.
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