Environment Support

THE GREEN-FRIENDLY NIKE

Nike, Inc. is a leading sportswear and equipment manufacturing company based in the United States. As the world's top provider of sports products, Nike's goods range from sports shoes and clothing to sports equipment. With headquarters located in Portland, Oregon, Nike has more than 500 locations around the globe and offices strategically located in 45 countries. With 20,700 employees and billions of revenues coming every year, Nike has emerged to be the world's leading sports and fitness center of all time.

Chronology of Events

1962
Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by Philip Knight.

1963
Blue Ribbon Sports delivered 200 shoes to Onitsuka Tiger Co. in Japan.

1964
Philip Knight and Bill Bowerman sealed their partnership in the Blue Ribbon Sports.

1966
The first retail outlet was opened.

1968
The company was eventually incorporated.

1971
Blue Ribbon Sports started manufacturing its products overseas; the Swoosh trademark and the Nike brand are introduced. The name was coined from the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. The infamous "swoosh" logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson for only $35.00. Davidson was a student at Portland State University in Advertising when Phil Knight asked her to design the logo for them back in 1971. The Swoosh logo was a representation of the winged goddess of victory.

1972
The brand was promoted initially at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Nike thereafter tested its first foreign market in Canada.

1978
The company officially changed its name to Nike, Inc.

1979
Nike commenced its first line of clothing; the year also marked the introduction of Nike Air shoe cushioning device.

1981
Nike International, Ltd. was created to front its marketing overseas.

1985
Legendary basketball player Michael Jordan signed up for the Air Jordan endorsement.

1988
'Just Do It' slogan was unveiled.

1990
The first NikeTown retail outlet opened in Oregon.

1995
Legendary golfer Tiger Woods signed up for a multi-million dollar endorsement.

1996
This year marked the creation of Nike equipment division. Nike subsidiaries now include Cole Haan Holdings Incorporated; Nike Team Sports, Inc.; Bauer Nike Hockey Inc.

1999
Online selling was introduced.

Nike Key Executives

Mark G. Parker
CEO/President, Executive director, Member of Disclosure Committee and Member of Executive Committee

Donald W. Blair
Chief Financial Officer, Vice President, Member of Disclosure Committee, and Member of Retirement Committee

Gary M. DeStefano
President of Global Operations

Charles D. Denson
President of Nike Brand and Member of Disclosure Committee

Philip H. Knight
Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chairman of Executive Committee

Nike Board of Directors

Philip H. Knight

Mark G. Parker

Bob Hurley
Jill K. Conway
Ralph D. DeNunzio

Nike Products

Nike advertises its products under its own brand name including Nike Pro, Nike Plus, Air Jordan (as endorsed by the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan), Nike Golf, Team Starter, and Nike Skateboarding. Nike offers a vast range of sports equipment for a variety of sports including tennis, baseball, track and field, American football, cricket, and basketball.

The company has also created novel shoe designs through green-friendly rubber outsole spikes and other eco-friendly materials, in support of Nike's commitment to provide green-friendly performance traction. Examples of these custom-designed green-friendly shoes are:

Nike strives to combine the demands for shoe performance, premium shoe design, and environmental sustainability [zero waste at all stages of the footwear's life cycle]. The company aims to include all apparel by 2015, and Nike equipment by 2020. They also endeavor to remove or limit harmful substances in their manufacturing and packaging.

Other Environmental Efforts

The Nike Environmental Action Team (NEAT) was founded in February 1993 to organize and direct Nike's environmental efforts worldwide. The team works toward reducing Nike's impact on the planet through its policies, operations and products.

One of its endeavors is Air-To-Earth, an in-school environmental education program for teaching fifth- and sixth-graders in the U.S. about environmental stewardship of youth and corporate environmental practices. It also integrates the actual recycling of old athletic shoes.

Based on a report furnished by Clean Air-Cool Planet, an environmental organization in New England, Nike belongs to the top 3 climate-friendly companies. The Nike Grind Program has a participatory role to its top listing. The program is part of Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program which started in 1993. The movement targets waste elimination thereby closing the product lifecycle. Hence, shoes that are returned because of quality defects are collected. The shoes are divided into three categories, namely: the fabric, foam, and rubber. These materials are then crushed and the loads of granulated rubber are then created into football, baseball, and soccer fields, running tracks, and floorings. The granulated foam, on the other hand, is used for playground exterior overlays, synthetic basketball courts, and tennis courts. In addition, pieces of padding used under hardwood basketball floors come from the granulated fabric. The program has been implemented in developed countries like the U.S., Japan, and United Kingdom.

Nike's latest release in the Air Jordan line, the Air Jordan XX3, is a green-friendly, top performance basketball shoe. The shoe's design team prioritized the near-complete elimination of toxic chemical glues as well as the use of recycled material.

The shoe uses material derived from the waste of manufacturing footwear outsoles, as well as materials from recycled used sneakers from "Nike Grind," a tactic the company has used as early as 1993. To make the shoe even ‘greener,' the shoe is designed with an outer sole, midsole, and other elements that fit and hold together without relying mainly on harmful adhesives. In the process of designing the shoe, a proprietary, water-based bonding process was invented to trim down the use of chemical cements and glues. It even instigated the development of a sewing machine to help manufacture footwear with lessened use of toxic chemical glues.

Nike Environmental Resouces