Consumer Products: Nike Product Design For Sustainability

We can't use recycled materials in all of Nike's products – at least not yet. But that hasn't stopped us from trying.

A few years ago, we branched out from sport surfaces and started using pre-consumer Nike Grind from our manufacturing facilities in a small number of promotional and retail items as well – like key chains, hacky sacks, mini footballs, Frisbees and zipper pulls. Today Nike Grind is incorporated in dozens of products – even some of our best-selling shoes:

Nike All Conditions Gear – Zipper pulls, snaps and buttons in many products in the ACG line utilize 50 to 100 percent Nike Grind materials.
Air Jordan XX3 – Arguably the world's best-known athletic shoe, today's Air Jordan XX3 is also designed for sustainability, utilizing Nike Grind in the sole as well as incorporating other eco-friendly design features.
Nike Trash Talk – The first performance basketball shoe made from manufacturing waste, the Nike Trash Talk – designed for Steve Nash – meets Nike's Considered design standards. Environmentally preferred rubber that reduces toxics, including Nike Grind Rubber, is incorporated in the outsole.
Tiempo Super Ligera Soccer Shoe – Using a screen-printed layer of Nike Grind on high-wear areas, these innovative shoes are able to protect the foot and strengthen the boot without adding weight.
Training Ground Flooring Tiles – Designed for home gyms and other consumer uses, these interlocking rubber tiles incorporate more than 25 percent pre-consumer Nike Grind.

In addition to using Nike Grind material in consumer products, Nike has also developed many other closed-loop materials into its manufacturing process. This works by collecting waste during the manufacturing process, recycling it and returning the recycled material back to vendors to be reintroduced into new material for Nike products, or “downcycling” it into product in the local economies surrounding our manufacturing facilities.

But we're not done yet. Nike engineers are constantly researching and testing innovative ways to incorporate Nike Grind into more products – and to find other environmentally preferred design solutions. Learn more about Nike innovation and our mission.