Sustaining The Nike Swoosh

The sports apparel powerhouse Nike, Inc. has recently released big changes in the news by announcing a partnership with Swiss company Bluesign Technologies.  The partnership will accelerate the supply of sustainable materials and chemistries for use in all Nike products.  What does that mean exactly?  Well, it means Nike is going green – they are taking steps to make the production of their textiles more sustainable for their workers, customers, and environment.

Though I bet not many of you have heard of Bluesign Technologies, their company is quite interesting.  They have also partnered with The North Face on a journey to sustainability.  The link provided here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkOQVQdJ_Lo) is a short video which details great information regarding Bluesign; how they work, the benefit of using their technologies, and how it can better the environment.  Basically, Bluesign is an input management system.  They know everything that thNikeey put into their production and calculate the effect of a chemical used in a textile regarding their air emissions, water emissions, and how it affects the workplace so that they know the outcome a chemical has before even starting production.

Nike is utilizing two of Bluesign Technologies that will provide Nike’s supply chain with access to roll out the tools across Nike’s global supply chain.  With one of the technologies, Bluefinder, a supplier can access pre-screened sustainable textile preparations including dye systems, detergents, and other chemicals used in the manufacturing process.  The benefit of this tool is that it helps suppliers manage restricted substances and increase water/energy efficiency.  The second tool Nike will utilize is Blueguide which gives Nike access to 30,000+ materials produced using chemicals from the Bluefinder at facilities that have undergone rigorous assessment.

Nike is pursuing to enhance their sustainable material strategy.  They are looking to put a set of positive chemistries in the hands of material suppliers by preventing the use of hazardous chemicals.  With Nike using these technologies, they can change production with many manufacturers by having them use technologies in order to produce more sustainable products and increase efficiencies.

I think this is a great partnership for many reasons.  First, as we discussed in class, sustainability is win-win and has a multifold positive impact.  Furthermore, without these technologies Nike’s supply chain had to go through individual factory assessments.  Now, their supply chain will run more efficiently with more innovative products.  With the integration of Bluesign Technologies, materials will be made in a manner which is sustainable between products, the environment, and the manufacturing factory.  The sustainability advantage is not only effective in Nike’s products, but in improving their supply chain by making production more innovative, stable, and of higher quality.  This aspect of their operations management is greatly going to improve Nike to being not only a sports powerhouse, but a sustainable one as well.

 How beneficial do you think the use of Bluesign Technologies will be to Nike?

Do you look more favorably on a company that takes efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and provide more sustainable products- why/not?

Nike

Sources:

http://nikeinc.com/news/nike-partners-with-bluesign-technologies-to-scale-sustainable-textiles

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/03/20/nike-supply-chain-to-use-bluesign-sustainability-tools/

10 thoughts on “Sustaining The Nike Swoosh

  1. I believe it is always a plus to support a company that is actively trying to reduce their carbon footprint. I have always been a big Nike fan and have had at least one product made by them since I can remember. I will feel better knowing that they are trying to reduce their footprint. It makes me wonder if the quality of their shoes will change as this was the main reason I supported Nike so much. It would be great if they can find a way to produce the same quality product while still going green.

  2. I think its really beneficial to use the bluesign technologies for Nike. This would be the right thing to do for Nike. it would save Nike allot money also it would be better for environment. I have grown up use Nike products and really love the company see them help environment great.If Nike starts doing allot of other company might doing it to.

  3. This is a very interesting article and a great post! I think Nike is moving in the right direction by going green. Reducing their carbon footprint will have a positive worldwide impact because Nike is a well known and used brand. Green products are extremely popular right now this could be a good move for them financially and environmentally. Spr1313perna brought up a good point, would going green decrease the quality of their products? I highly doubt Nike would produce an inferior product. Nike has always produced a quality product and will probably maintain their integrity to their products. Once Nike goes green, would they able to go back without backlash?

  4. I love this article. I think it’s great the Nike is taking a huge step towards going green. This will definitely have a huge impact worldwide. This also gives them a competitive advantage towards other competition and companies. I believe this will also a good move financially especially since this would most likely reduce costs while making a great impact upon the environment.

  5. Big Nike fan. Some of the best gear whether it is clothing or shoes. I think this is a great initiative going green. Many companies are revolutionizing the way they work by being more proactive with world. However, going green usually comes at cost because it always not an easy alternative. Look to see that Nike may increase prices by a bit. .

  6. Big Nike fan. Some of the best gear whether it is clothing or shoes. I think this is a great initiative going green. Many companies are revolutionizing the way they work by being more proactive with world. However, going green usually comes at cost because it always not an easy alternative. Look to see that Nike may increase prices by a bit.

  7. I think this is a really good move for Nike. As everyone keeps saying, going green is the new trend and is here to stay. However there have been many stories in the news about how poor the working environment is in Nikes factories. I think going green is a good start, but they also need to focus on how they treat people and improve working conditions.

  8. Interesting post! Nike is taking a positive move in not only making environmentally friendly products and increase efficiency, but also as a way to help their manufacturing image a bit. Though, I do agree with the statement above, that Nike still needs to really address and focus on the issue of the ill working environments for factory employees.

  9. Very interesting article, It’s nice to see big companies such as Nike take the initiative to be environmentally friendly and at the same time improving their products by implementing new technologies. Using the technologies mentioned above will definitely improve Nike’s to produce more sustainable products and increase efficiency.

  10. I think Bluesign Technologies will be beneficial to Nike. As the author mentioned, the new technology will improve Nike’s supply chain by being “more innovative, stable, and of higher quality.” This can cut costs in the supply chain for Nike and give it a better competitive advantage in the market. I also think that the environmental factor in the technology will also enhance Nike’s brand name, and will also contribute to it’s competitive advantage.

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