In 1995, Nike began phasing out the use of organic solvents (VOCs) in the footwear (FW) manufacturing process. Over the years, Nike has reduced the amount of solvent used in FW production by over 90%, largely by converting solvent-based adhesives to water-based alternatives. 

While making significant progress in the past 25 years, their journey continues through their 2025 targets to adopt clean chemistry alternatives for ten priority substances*.  One of the ten priorities is to reduce the amount of solvent used in inks and paints in footwear by another 10% (grams per pair basis). For this target, solvents are defined as those meeting three requirements: 

·       Vapor Pressure (>=0.01kPa or 0.075 mmHg at 20 °C)

·       Boiling Point (<=250C at Standard Temp & Pressure)

·       Contains carbon (organic solvent)

Given Nike’s significant progress since 1995, their work to find innovative approaches for further reduction while maintain high performance and quality standards has become even more challenging. Reduction is calculated by capturing the amount of solvent added by the chemical manufacturer and the number of pairs they make. Then selecting specific areas to reduce or eliminate the solvent, often by selecting water-based alternatives that still meet Nike’s performance standards in areas such as adhesives, inks and paints.   

Between fiscal years FY21-FY23, Nike has stayed on track with their annual milestone goals for solvent reduction to achieve, and is currently slightly ahead of their 3.0% goal at a 3.8% reduction of solvents in inks/paints in footwear. This reduction has been driven by converting solvent based graphic applications to water-based applications.   

Nike’s target to reduce solvents includes all global footwear production and is implemented across 12 of their strategic footwear factory suppliers in China, as well as additional suppliers in Indonesia and Vietnam. Footwear facilities have continued to innovate and drive progress even through the extremely challenging COVID disruption, demonstrating the amazing value of long-term partnerships in the industry and suppliers’ dedication to Nike’s sustainability journey.  

Looking toward 2030, Nike will continue to leverage the learnings and the tools they have developed for this target and apply them to future efforts. Nike has strict requirements on chemical management in their Code of Conduct and Code Leadership Standards[1] and has developed a chemical assessment program to review all new chemical innovations against a suite of hazard endpoints. This process looks far beyond current regulations and helps Nike ensure they do not adopt substances that will be an issue at a later time, which is critical for a circular future. Today, Nike actively restricts over 400 chemical substances in process, product, or packaging, and they will continue to work with industry groups such as the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Foundation and the AFIRM Group to promote sustainable chemistry across the entire supply chain.

[1] The Nike Code of Conduct and Code Leadership Standards are available here: 

https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/resources/nike-supplier-code-of-conduct

(The above content is provided by the brand, and the authenticity of the data is the responsibility of the brand. This article has both Chinese and English versions. If there is any inconsistency, the English version shall prevail.)