Chapter 4, Problem 3.2ASC

Consider Nike’s Flyknit Design

Nike has been aggressively pursuing sustainable design and production for more than a decade. Its Considered Design ethos asks designers to consider the environmental impact of a proposed product at the early stages of development; specifically, to use less toxins, less waste, more environmentally friendly materials, and more life cycle assessments (which promote recycling). To aid in that pursuit, Nike provides a list of environmentally preferred materials (EPM) and sustainable materials, as well as a restricted substances list (RSL) and restricted packaging list, to its suppliers and designers. A Considered Index is then calculated to evaluate the proposed design. Products or designs are scored on the use of solvents, waste, materials, treatments (such as fading or distressing), and innovation. Only those products that score significantly higher than the Nike average are designated as “Considered.”

The company has also developed a Sourcing & Manufacturing Sustainability Index (SMSI) that assesses contract factory performance on sustainability measures such as lean production, environmental performance (water, energy, carbon, waste), health and safety, and labor management factors. The company’s recycling program, called Reuse-A-Shoe, has recycled more than 21 million pairs of athletic shoes to create public basketball courts, athletic tracks, and playground surfaces around the world. Sustainability is now one of Nike’s core values, as noted in its recent annual report.

How appropriate, then, that one of Nike’s biggest commercial successes is also an environmental success—a 5.6 ounce running shoe called the Flyknit, which is shown in the photo. The Flyknit design changes the look, feel, performance, and manufacture of Nike’s biggest sales category, running shoes. The upper portion of these shoes are “knitted” on a custom-made 15-foot-long machine that weaves together colored polyester yarn and adds tiny synthetic cables into the weave around the midfoot for support. The cables loosen and contract with the runner’s foot, for form-fitting comfort and performance. For more stretch in the toe, Lycra-infused thread can be used; for added strength in the heel, multiple layers of yarn of varying thickness can be added. The warp and weft of the weaving process opens up interesting color combinations for the shoes as well. In the future, a shoe might be knitted to fit the particular needs of a customer’s feet (even if that means a different knit pattern for the left foot than the right).

The Flyknit has 35 fewer pieces to assemble than a traditional shoe and produces very little waste. Since there is no cutting, sewing, stitching, or gluing, the labor requirements and cost of manufacture are considerably less, too.

Nike has made great strides in apparel manufacturing, as well, with its ColorDry dyeing process. The new technology uses CO₂ instead of water to dye material, eliminating wastewater pollution and avoiding depletion of a resource that is becoming increasingly scarce. Since it takes 30 liters of water to dye just one T-shirt and 5.8 trillion liters of water to dye apparel each year across the industry, using zero water makes a huge difference. The new process is 40% faster, too; it uses a quarter of the space and reduces energy consumption by 63%. Further, the color is more saturated, intense, and consistent.

Nike’s environmental actions promise to be a game-changer both for the company and the industry, and the resulting increase in profit is not bad either.

It’s not often that a design totally changes an industry. Can you think of other designs that have played that role? Comment on the competitive landscape for both the Flyknit and the example you find.