Nike CEO Outlines Plan To Become More Sustainable Amid Climate Change Concerns

Nike CEO Outlines Plan To Become More Sustainable Amid Climate Change Concerns

Nike CEO Mark Parker released a letter on the company website yesterday, in which he explained how important it is for Nike to become more sustainable. Parker describes how Nike’s goal is to source 100% renewable energy across global operations by 2025, as they have already committed to that standard in North America in Europe.

Parker writes:

“At the most fundamental level, protecting the future of sport also means providing safe places to play. For sport to thrive, we need clean air and open spaces. That’s why we set a bold target to source 100% renewable energy across our global operations by 2025, which saw major momentum this year as we committed to 100% renewable energy in North America and Europe.”

“Protecting our planet’s future goes beyond lessening our own environmental footprint. For Nike, it also means using our voice to power greater change. As the urgency of climate change calls for significant industry shifts, we’re joining coalitions such as the Global Fashion Agenda and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action that seek to accelerate progress across borders and sectors.”

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He continues

“As an innovation-driven company, we will always make room for experimentation. But for Nike, sustainability has never been a test case. Over the decades, it’s shaped some of our most popular products and fastest-growing platforms. Now, I believe we’re entering a new phase for Nike innovation — one where sustainability at scale is becoming a reality.”

“Take Nike Air as an example. All Nike Air-Sole innovations since 2008 are composed of at least 50% recycled material, diverting more than 50 million pounds of waste from landfills each year. Its success speaks for itself: If Nike Air was a standalone athletic company, based on revenue, it would be the third-largest in the world. Nike Flyknit, which transforms recycled polyester into our highest-performing products, is now a multi-billion-dollar business. And we continue to scale Nike Flyleather, a sustainable new super material made from at least 50% leather fiber, across our most beloved products.”

To read Nike’s FY18 Impact Report in its entirety, click here. To read more about Nike’s purpose, click here.

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