03 | Sustainability in major footwear brands

This week’s focus has been to research how some of the biggest footwear brands work with sustainability. Is sustainability prioritized? What actions do they take to become more sustainable? What materials do they use?

Nike and Adidas are two of the largest footwear manufacturers in the world. Given the size, importance, and influence of these brands, their sustainability choices are crucial. The research paper, titled „Evaluation of Sustainability & Materials Among Major Footwear Brands“ discusses the sustainable focus and actions of these brands. Some of the actions and goals of the companies presented in the research paper will be presented in this text.

Adidas‘ sustainability efforts started in 1998 when their environmental and social standards that suppliers must uphold were announced. They want to use products that can either be recycled, remade, or return to nature. Adidas has a goal* to eliminate the use of virgin polyester wherever possible by 2024 and achieve carbon neutrality across its entire supply chain by 2025.

Nike has 10 main principles for circular design that all involve choosing materials that have a lower sustainable impact. There are several examples where the company has stopped the use of different gases in the production phase because they were harmful to both the human body and the environment. In 2002, Nike developed an environmentally friendly rubber that contains 96% fewer toxins by weight than the material they previously used.

In the research paper, some shoes from Adidas and Nike were deconstructed, and the materials were examined. The main finding from the observation of the materials was that Nike uses fewer recycled materials in their shoes but incorporates them in more styles, compared to Adidas, which uses more recycled materials in each shoe but incorporates them in fewer styles.

Goal*

A company’s goals are just goals; it does not mean that the company actually achieves them. It is difficult to know how invested the companies are in achieving their goals and if the goals are realistic or if they are a way for the company to appear sustainable and get a more sustainable image.

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Yanet Hernandez Perez, N. (2022, May 19). Evaluation of Sustainability & Materials Among Major Footwear Brands . https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/downloads/9z9035249

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