Nike Grind

Nike Grind is a collection of recycled materials developed by Nike that is composed of pre-consumer manufacturing scraps, recycled post-consumer shoes from the Reuse-A-Shoe program, and unsellable footwear. The purpose of Nike Grind is to eliminate waste and close the loop on Nike's product lifecycle.

Nike Grind
Product typeRecycled materials
OwnerNike
CountryUnited States
Introduced1994 (1994)
Websitenikegrind.com

The materials are used to make various Nike products, athletic surfaces, and products for other companies. Materials recycled include rubber, foam, fiber, leather and textile blends, which are separated and ground into a wide range of granules.[1]

Recycling Process

Nike Grind materials are primarily composed of manufacturing scraps, but also include a mixture of recycled shoes (including those that cannot be sold).[2][3] Many of the recycled shoes are collected through Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program which began in the early 1990s and takes in around 1.5 million pairs annually.[4] The program takes worn-out shoes (of any brand) that are donated by consumers often at Nike retail stores.[5][6] After donation, the shoes are shipped to one of two recycling facilities in the United States or Belgium where they are then processed into Nike Grind materials.[7]

Three different types of material are taken from each shoe: rubber from the outsole, foam from the midsole, and fabric from the upper.[8] Then, the separated materials of rubber, foam, fiber, leather, and textile blends are ground into granules that can be reconstituted as a number of different products and materials.[9]

Uses

Nike Grind materials are incorporated into some Nike products,[10] including footwear, apparel, and the yarn that composes them.[9][11] These materials are also used in athletic and play surfaces like running tracks, turf fields, playground surfaces, courts, weight room flooring, and carpet underlay.[3][12][13] Since its inception, Nike Grind has been used in over 1 billion square feet of sports surfaces in total.[9]

The first synthetic turf soccer field installed with Nike Grind rubber was Douglas park. That surface was donated by Nike and the U.S. Soccer Foundation.[14] Nike Grind has since been incorporated into numerous athletic surfaces throughout the world, including the court at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California,[15] training facilities at Yankee Stadium in New York, and the track at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England, among others.[16]

Additionally, using Nike Grind materials in a building project may help gain points toward obtaining LEED certification, depending on how much is incorporated and what other sustainable materials are used.[17]

References
  1. Leanr about Nike Grind
  2. Lewontin, Max (11 May 2016). "Why Nike is making most shoes from manufacturing waste". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  3. Kaufman, Alexander C. (11 May 2016). "Nike Is Now Making Most Of Its Shoes From Its Own Garbage". HuffPost. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  4. Gallucci, Nicole (22 April 2018). "So you cleaned out your closet. Now what?". Mashable. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  5. Heinze, Lisa (6 November 2017). "Step into something eco-friendly: white sneakers that don't cost the Earth". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  6. "Nike steps up to create "closed loop"". Poughkeepsie Journal. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  7. "What to Do with All Your Worn Out Kicks?". Athleticnista. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  8. "Companies Using Waste as Raw Material". Core77. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  9. Chang, Lulu (4 March 2018). "Nike wants your help developing next generation of innovative, recyclable products". Digital Trends. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  10. Zhu, Melissa (28 July 2018). "Walking with a lighter environmental footprint". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  11. Kell, John (22 August 2016). "How Nike Is Changing the World". Fortune. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  12. Moore, Darcie (17 May 2018). "Freeport to celebrate opening of new track and field facility". The Times Record. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  13. Gabriel, Wendy (31 August 2012). "Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe Program". RecycleNation. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  14. "Gold Medal Soccer Stars Mia Hamm & Briana Scurry Help NikeGO and The U.S. Soccer Foundation Dedicate Chicago Soccer Field". Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire. 19 October 2004. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  15. "Sacramento Kings New Court Will Include Recycled Shoes From Players and Fans". National Basketball Association. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  16. "Sponsor Spotlight: NIKE GRIND". American Society of Landscape Architects. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  17. Spowart, Mark (22 March 2010). "Just Re-do it! Nike's Reuse A Shoe Program". Greener Ideal. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
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