Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program is a fantastic practice that uses old athletic shoes into materials that can be used for products. The program was created in 1990 to bolster the circularity within sports equipment and wear within the industry. It showcases how we promote environmental awareness, eco-consciousness and positive impacts through sports.
Objectives:
The objectives of the program include:
- Reduction of waste within the sports industry
- Promote circularity of the use of sports equipment
- Encourage sustainable practices within sports by fostering awareness and eco-consciousness
Description of practice:
The main part of the practice entails collecting second-hand shoes from ‘drop-of’ points/bins at Nike stores. These are then recycled into a material that can be used for a variety of things like courts, tracks, playgrounds or even parts of new Nike products. As a part of its sustainability initiatives, Nike has also redesigned its shoeboxes to reduce the amount of materials needed – to save on materials and ultimately reduce the need for trees to be cut down.
Impacts & Results:
Since the project was initiated in 1990, there have been countless beneficial impacts. 28 million shoes have been recycled, improving circularity and reducing waste. Recycling these products has also created a precedence of versatile materials that can be used all across the sporting industry. The new shoeboxes also save circa 200,000 trees a year from being cut down. Finally, the dependency on customer engagement with the project and handing in old shoes also showcases the importance of all and how individuals through minor actions can contribute to a sustainable future.
Conclusion & suggestion for youth workers:
One of the main takeaways here for youth workers is the application of circularity. It is a crucial step to attain a sustainable future and can be incorporated into so many different types of organisations and projects. This can be tailored to sports organisations in many ways. Instead of recycling shoes for the material to make new sports products, you can hand in old shoes to your organisation, so another member can utilise them – say if you stopped engaging with the sport or if the size does not fit. This also promotes our sense of community as well as community engagement. It shows how we can promote social and environmental sustainability at the same time, a crucial synergy we should utilize to the max!
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