On November 6, 202 3, at the 5 th China International Import Expo , Nike and Ant Group announced the prelimin ary results of the ground bre aking environmental project " N ike Old Sho es Rib bon . " The project has attra cted great attention as a new model of circular economy in the sport ing goods industry .
Back ground and objectives of the project
The " N ike Old Sho es Rib bon " is a joint project that was offici ally launched in September 202 3, aim ing to establish a sustainable consumption model through the collection and re cyc ling of used sne ak ers . This effort , which combin es Nike ' s global susta ina bility strategy with Ant Group ' s digital technology , has particular signific ance in the Chinese market .
The main objectives of the project can be sum mari zed in the following three points :
- Red uc ing waste and prom oting reso urce cy c ling
- Ra ising environmental aw aren ess among consumers
- Ra ising susta ina bility standards across the sport ing goods industry
Amazing achie v ements and the way forward
In just two months since the launch , more than 25,000 pa irs of used sne ak ers have been rec over ed through onWhatsapp and offWhatsapp chann els . The figures show that Chinese consumers have a high interest in environmental issues , while also prov ing the potential for w ides pre ad re cyc ling activities if there are appropriate incenti ves and a conveni ent collection system .
The re cyc led sne ak ers are then dec om pos ed and regener ated through a professional process . The so les are re used as rub ber material and re born as out so les and flo oring materials for sports facilities . Me anw hile , the up per part will be re - pro cess ed as a tex tile material , which will be used as a material for new products .
To establish a sustainable business model .
Nike ' s head of susta ina bility expla ins that " the project is not just a re cyc ling activity , it aims to build a circular business model . " In the future , the company aims to establish a " c los ed loop system " to re use rec over ed materials for its products , and it is expected that this will make a significant contribution to reduc ing the environmental impact of the industry as a whole .
In addition , through the collabor ation with the digital platform s provided by Ant Group , consumers can easily bring used sne ak ers to collection points through a smartphone app , there by creating a mechan ism for participat ing in environmental contribu tions . This user - friend ly system is considered one of the factors that led to the big results in a short time .
Rip ple effects across the industry
The success of the " N ike Old Sho es Rib bon " project has the potential to have a major impact not only on the sports wear industry , but also on the entire appar el industry . In fact , there are reports that several companies have shown interest in similar efforts after their anno unc ement at the expo .
According to experts , the increase in such circular projects led by large companies can be expected to have the following long - term effects :
- Susta inable change in consumer behavior
- Further evolution of re cyc ling technology
- Ex pand ed market for environment ally friendly products
- Syn er gies with government environmental policies
Pros pe cts for the future
Nike and Ant Group aim to rec all 100,000 foot wear across China by 202 4, and will continue to invest in exp anding their collection network and enhan cing processing capacity . The company also focus es on improv ing the quality of rec over ed materials and developing diverse uses , aim ing to establish a model that is both economic ally and susta ina bly sustainable .
As this project demonstrat es , the environmental approach of large companies has the potential to go beyond just CS R (cor por ate social responsibility) and lead to a transform ation of the business model itself . Start ing with the anno unc ement at the China International Import Expo , how Nike ' s " re cyc ling of old shoes " project will develop has attra cted attention from not only industry officials , but also all those interested in environmental issues .