Nike 'Considers' the environment

Global - Apparel giant said its range of environmentally friendly products will help reduce waste in the supply chain by nearly 20%.

Nike, previously flamed for using child labour to manufacture its products like soccer balls in Pakistan, has stepped up its supplier audits and made a more conscious effort to clean up its supply chain and introduce more environmentally-friendly products.

Nike said these improvements, including waste reduction, will result in some 20% savings in the supply chain, local media said. 

"We're trying to reduce costs and improve margins," said president and CEO Mark Parker at a sustainability event hosted in New York. "To make the company more profitable while reducing the footprint we have on the planet."

Nike said that with the "Nike Considered" line, it will work toward the target of ensuring that all its shoes meet strict environmental standards by 2011, with all clothing meeting the same "Considered" criteria by 2015.

Parker, quoted in local media, said the increased procurement costs incurred by using more expensive environmentally sound materials would be offset by a more streamlined supply chain. 

Nike said its long-term vision for its "Considered" business is to design products that are fully closed-loop: produced using the fewest possible materials, designed for easy disassembly while allowing them to be recycled into new product or safely returned to the nature at the end of their life.

"As we look at how we design and develop products and run our global business, it's not enough to be solving the challenges of today," Parker said. "We are designing for the sustainable economy of tomorrow, and for us that means using fewer resources, more sustainable materials and renewable energy to produce new products."