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Nike is one of the largest and most popular athletic clothing and footwear suppliers in the world. Based in Beaverton, Oregon and founded by University of Oregon alumni, Phil Knight, in 1964, Nike has been producing some of the most high quality shoes and athletic clothes ever since. On top of their rich history of innovation and production, Nike has also been making great strides in terms of sustainable development and green production for several decades now. As Nike has grown to a global market superpower, so have its efforts to make itself more sustainable and environmentally friendly at nearly every stage of production.
First off, Nike has started both recycling and buyback programs that allow for it to use less rubber and slow down gross production of raw materials. Granted, this is a relatively new program, but it is already having a major impact as it is not only making Nike products more affordable, but it also makes the lowest level of their production much more environmentally friendly. The cost of recycling rubber is far less than processing new materials and also results in far less pollution being put into both the air and water from textile plants and massive factories. Secondly, Nike is also outfitting many of its applicable factories, offices, and processing plants with sources of alternative energy. Large-scale factories are being outfitted with massive arrays of solar panels and offices in the hills of the Pacific Northwest are being converted to wind energy with the help of modern, adequately-sized turbines. On top of that, the overall carbon footprint of Nike is steadily decreasing due largely in part to its efforts of using alternative sources of energy.
Another major effort that Nike is making in order to become more environmentally-friendly and sustainable is reducing its fresh water usage. In the past, Nike has used millions of gallons of freshwater in its textile production. In this context, textiles are often dyed and finished in a freshwater-based solution, however, Nike has moved away from using freshwater-based dying solutions and is now moving toward a habit of using cleaned, recycled water. Nike is making great efforts to reduce the usage of freshwater as it becomes one of the most scarce essential resources on the planet whilst still maintaining its necessity, if not growing, along with the climbing human population. “To reduce our water footprint, we’re focusing our efforts on the ground, where raw materials are grown. We’re also reducing freshwater use for dyeing and finishing textiles, through manufacturing efficiencies and wastewater recycling” (Nike Purpose, 1). Nike is taking an active role in reducing the usage of water so that more of it can be utilized for agricultural production as well as human and animal consumption.
Finally, Nike is being chemically responsible by following a strict restricted substance list of materials that could prove dangerous to both the environment and those humans in the production sector. With this list being strongly adhered to, both the people working in Nike’s production plants and the surrounding environment are going to be safer as fewer dangerous chemicals are being put into the air, water, and ground, leading to an overall healthier environment and ecosystems. These steps may be small on their own, but with all of them and many more being implemented together, they create a much larger impact. As Nike continues to grow and develop, so will its sustainability principles and practices that can allow for it to stay a global market power for many years to come.
Source: “Planet.” Nike Purpose, purpose.nike.com/planet.
I decided to take a look into Jimmy Johns' sustainability because I previously was a long time consumer of their sandwiches, and am currently employed at one of their franchises. Because Jimmy Johns is a franchise rather than a chain, much of its consumption as a company is in relation to who the company buys products from. For example, according to the sustainability section on the Jimmy Johns website, Hellmann's® Mayonnaise supplies the mayonnaise to the franchise, which uses cage free eggs and is pledged to be carbon positive in their operations by 2030. Another example would be the Jimmy John's Meat supplier, which is owned by the Jimmy Johns franchise, and has hopes of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2030. This all comes directly from the Jimmy Johns sustainability website, with little evidence to support these claims. Currently I am employed at one of these franchises. While I do not see the corporate model, I do see the day to day waste that occurs within your average Jimmy Johns, as well as the sustainable efforts made, even if just for economic benefit. For example, many of the shipments come in plastic packaging within cardboard boxes. These are either used once, and then discarded (not recycled), or discarded immediately. In contrast, the Jimmy Johns sustainability statement claims that cardboard used in their packaging for bread shipments is made out of 35%-50% of recycled cardboard. While this is a start, using partly recycled cardboard is not sustainable if it is put in the dumpster in the end anyway. On the other hand, based in my experience, the company does an excellent job on preserving food and minimizing waste, which is impressive considering much of their food does not have preservatives. For example, while slicing the deli meats, each piece is weighed out and leftover slices are wrapped up and used at a later date. Additionally, if bread is not used before closing, it is sold for cheaper the next day and marketed as “day old bread”. Finally, I do want to give credit to some of the products they use. For example, paper cups are used as opposed to plastic, and the wraps, bags and napkins are printed on with sustainable ink and recyclable. However, these are just the products the consumer sees, and within the organization there still a lot of food and packaging waste occurring. In summation, Jimmy Johns isn't bad, but has a long way to go in terms of their day to day operations this waste.
Fashion for Good is a company in Amsterdam Netherlands that strives to bring together the fashion ecosystem through its Innovation Platform and as a conveyor of change. The fashion industry has been stuck in a pattern of take-make-waste where we burn or throw away an estimated 60% of clothing that was produced within one year of being made. Fashion for Good follows five ways that create fashion that looks good and is restorative and regenerative. The five ways include good materials, good economy, good energy, good water, and good lives. Each of these represents a framework of “The Five Goods” that promise social, economic, and environmental prosperity.
The Innovation Platform is the core of Fashion for Good. The company connects sustainable innovations and innovators with brands, retailers, and funders to find new ideas and technologies. The platform is made up of three programmes. The first is the Accelerator, which is a 9-month program free of charge. It provides new innovators with introductions to fashion industry leaders, facilitates access to capital, introductions to technical mentors, and provides networking opportunities. The second is the Scaling Programme, where Fashion for Good evaluates a company that is ready to grow to a commercial scale to see if they meet the criteria for a successful candidate. Their criteria is based on impact potential, scalability, team, maturity, and business strategy. The third is the Good Fashion Fund, which is an investment fund for innovative solutions in the fashion industry. It was created to connect promising technologies in the industry to challenge the textile and apparel production industry.
On the Fashion for Good website, https://fashionforgood.com/, they have their own news and resources page where they post the latest news from the Fashion for Good community. Here, innovators and companies that have gone through the Innovation Platform can explain their experience and share their success. Even more so, the news resource provides us with the latest movements and strides towards sustainable and restorative fashion industry.
Finally, Fashion for Good has the world’s first interactive museum for sustainable fashion innovations. Due to covid-19, the museum has been temporarily closed but they still provide a virtual tour. Throughout the museum, they provide information that helps you learn where your clothes come from, concrete ways to make a positive impact, and different innovations being implemented into the fashion industry. The museum allows you to connect with innovators, see their technologies up close, and learn how they came about and what they are intended for. The museum is updated every six months to provide up-to-date information on new innovations that are shaping a sustainable future.
I decided to do my case study on Method home products it’s a line that carries items from body care, laundry detergent to cleaning products. Headquartered in San Francisco Ca., they have their manufacturing plant located in Chicago, Illinois. The availability of these products at large chain supermarkets across the country makes it easy for everyone to have access to more sustainable ecofriendly options.
The principles that Method currently have established is thati9 all of their products are cruelty free and they are not tested on animals. In addition to that their products are safe to use around pets. Method is also conscious about the changing climate. To stop their impact on the environment they are trying to reduce their CO2 emissions, find alternative energy sources and they are off setting the Carbon Footprint that they do have. From supplier selection to materials used in their packaging Method is trying to find ways to have as little impact as possible, while making sure that their ingredients come from renewable sources.
Method is LEED platinum certified which is the highest certification that you can get when it comes to being LEED certified. This is a symbol that is recognized as a sustainable achievement. It takes into account how the building runs, and how it was built, Additionally, they have calculated their footprint and are currently tracking it using data reports, and ways in which they can lower their footprint through the reduction of CO2 they emit, how much water they use and so on. They also use recycled plastic to put their products in. While this is a great start, something they could do to improve their sustainability practices even more is to use something more sustainable such as glass, or even compostable packaging for their products. Doing so could make them an even better option for those who try to stay away from plastic.
Overall, I found the company to be a good example of implementing sustainability practices and principles. From being LEED certified to being safe to use around pets these two attributes alone are good, but when adding in all the other attributes these only add to the sustainability of this company. But, just like any company there are areas for improvement. Since Method is owned by a much larger company, which is S.C Johnson, Method could make the switch to being more sustainable since they have the financial means to do so.
Andrew Trimai
The company I chose is Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and accessories company located in Ventura, California. It was founded in 1973, and has become one of the most popular clothing brand around the world. This company also strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible, setting environmental and sustainability goals and practices in how they create their products and how they run their business.
When accessing Patagonia’s website, you will quickly find their core values. This list of values shows how they operate their business and shows what goals they plan to achieve. One of their main goals is to build the best products possible. They state that building the best product possible is among one of the most direct ways they can limit ecological impacts since their goods will last generations or can be recycled so the products remain in use. Another core value of Patagonia is to cause no unnecessary harm to the environment. They state that they are aware that their business activity causes harm to the environment. This is why they work steadily to change their business practices and share what they have learned with other large corporations. Patagonia plans on using its environmentally friendly products and its success to persuade other businesses and people to think about their habits and practices and make a change. Showing others that you can run a large business successfully while being environmentally friendly and still be profitable is pushing Patagonia to the front of the sustainability movement.
Patagonia is very goal oriented when it comes to becoming a more sustainable company. They take responsibility that they are part of the textile industry, which releases over 1.2 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. Their main goal is to reduce their environmental footprint, and they share their targets to do this on their website. There are four main goals, with three of them to be completed by 2025. The first goal is to be 100% carbon neutral across their entire supply chain. They state this will be completed by reducing their carbon footprint, investing in renewable energy projects and purchasing certified carbon offsets. Goal number two is for all apparel products will be made from 100% recycled, reclaimed, or renewable materials. Goal number three is that all packaging materials will be recyclable, renewable, or compostable. The fourth and final goal is set to be completed by 2030, and it states that 100% of the cotton and hemp fiber used in their products will be regenerative organic certified. These goals are not easy to achieve and very few companies try to do them, especially one the size of Patagonia. This shows how serious this business takes environmental and sustainability practices.
One of the most interesting environmental practices Patagonia participates in is pledging 1% of all sales to the preservation and restoration of the environment. This practice started in 1985, and has awarded over $89 million dollars to domestic and international grassroots organizations. They also ask that other business owners to consider becoming a member of the group that donates 1% of their sales to environmental preservation and restoration. Considering how much money 1% of a large businesses sales is shows how serious Patagonia is about saving the environment. Asking other business owners to join them in donating money and changing their practices truly makes Patagonia a leader of environmental change.
All information from: https://www.patagonia.com/home/
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