WIREDGOV

The future of sustainable clothing was the focus of Environment Minister Dan Norris’ visit to the Nike facility in Belgium this week.

The Environment and Sustainability Minister was there to see how Nike’s ‘Considered Design’ ethos is being integrated across its sportswear product ranges as part of Defra’s Sustainable Clothing Action Plan. Considered Design measures and minimises the environmental impact of each product – from trainers to jackets – throughout its lifecycle – from design to re-use/recycling.

Considered Design takes into account the materials used and their embedded footprint right through from design, to manufacture, to sale and end of lifespan. This includes minimising the toxicity of materials, cutting out waste, re-using materials and products and maximising the re-use potential of products through recycling.

The Considered Design approach shows that ‘green’ products don’t have to be a niche market. Nike’s Considered Design range is a mainstream product range that ensures high quality, look, style and performance are not sacrificed.

The Minister also saw first-hand Nike’s pilot shoe recycle initiative in partnership with IOK – a Belgian waste management company. Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe scheme collects worn-out athletic shoes of any brand from a variety of sources, shoes that are returned from retailers due to a material flaw and counterfeit shoes. These are then ground up to make three different raw sports materials for use in a variety of applications including sports surfacing. Nike also recycle much of their scrap material left over from the manufacturing of Nike footwear and together the shoes and shoe materials are ground up and purified to become Nike Grind Rubber, Nike Grind Foam and Nike Grind Upper. Nike partner with industry-leading sports surfacing companies to incorporate Nike Grind into their quality sports surfacing product ranges – basketball and tennis courts, running tracks, soccer fields, fitness flooring and playground safety surfacing.

Dan Norris said:

“My visit to Nike has been eye-opening and proves that companies can embed environmental considerations through a product lifecycle – from design, through productions and at the end of its lifespan.

“That’s exactly what the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan is about – making sustainability mainstream. Green products are not just a niche market – it makes sound economic and commercial sense for all your products and your business to minimise environmental impact, reduce waste and to innovate, re-use and recycle.”

Nike is one of the signatories of Defra’s Sustainable Clothing Action Plan launched earlier this year. The Plan as part of the wider Sustainable Clothing Roadmap initiative aims to promote environmental, social and economic sustainability in the clothing sector looking at the lifecycle of products from cradle to grave.

Notes to editors

More information on the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap www.defra.gov.uk/roadmaps.

The Sustainable Clothing Action Plan was launched at London Fashion Week in February 2009 www.defra.gov.uk.  

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