Nike, the athletic giant announced it is taking more steps towards going green. Nike is partnering with Newlight Technologies in order to explore greener material alternatives for their sneakers. Newlight’s AirCarbon is a carbon-negative bioplastic product, which serves as an alternative to plastic and leather.
Recently, the sportswear company’s sustainability and climate goals failed to meet the expectations of environmental campaigners and activists. As a result, Nike has promised to decrease it’s GHG emissions by 65% in all their owned or operated facilities, and to also achieve a reduction of 30% across its supply chain by 2030. A critical part of achieving said goals means to prioritize the use of carbon-negative materials in several of their products, such as AirCarbon and replace plastic and leather materials.
“Materials account for 70 percent of Nike’s total carbon footprint, and we’re accelerating our efforts and exploring new opportunities in this space because, in the race against climate change, we can’t wait for solutions, we have to work together to create them,” said Noel Kinder, Nike’s chief sustainability officer, in a statement.
Newlight’s AirCarbon material can be melted down into a variety of shapes, including solid shapes. Also the material has a sports-specific advantage, since it is not only sustainable, but also lightweight.
“AirCarbon is an energy storage material that consists of around 40 percent oxygen and 60 percent carbon from greenhouse gases. During production, natural microorganisms are used that have the ability to eat air and greenhouse gases and convert them into AirCarbon through their cells. SCS Global Services has certified the material as CO2 negative.”
Newlight’s material is already being implemented in the fashion industry. It’s being used in products such as Covalent sunglasses, and as a leather replacement. Activists hope that as Nike implements greener and more sustainable materials into its designs, its influence will push more brands to follow the giant’s example.
