You are in:
Nike
At the start of the Nike CONSIDERED initiative, the Nike design team wondered what would happen if they paid as much attention to the journey as the destination? What if they designed shoes to reduce the impact on the environment as well as the impact on the foot? How could they minimize materials and reduce waste? And how could they avoid the potentially harmful effects caused from solvents used in primers and adhesives? The Nike Considered range of shoes has evolved as a direct consequence of these questions.
The first generation of these products was launched in Spring 05 and over the past seasons the design has evolved into unexpected new forms for this spring/summer. The CONSIDERED initiative is now naturally housed in Nike ACG; those who enjoy the outdoors have a particularly close affinity and relationship with nature and are especially inclined to consider their impact upon it. By blending performance innovation and CONSIDERED innovation, Nike ACG has now introduced CONSIDERED PERFORMANCE. Nike ACG thus allows you to take on the outdoors in a product that has been designed and produced to consequently reduce effects on it.
What makes a shoe CONSIDERED?
Each Nike CONSIDERED shoe sports a modular construction designed to make the manufacturing process more energy-efficient. Each shoe uses a maximum of five major materials – leather and lacing on the upper, polyurethane for the sock-liner, and injected Phylon and partially recycled rubber on the outsole unit – where a conventional shoe would use around 25.
The CONSIDERED range is built from fewer, simpler components, involving fewer stages in the manufacturing process, using less energy. The sole of the CONSIDERED shoes is made from two parts which snap together, requiring less labour and avoiding the use of chemical adhesives. Materials have been sourced closer to factory – most from within 200 miles – so that less fuel is used for transport during the production of each shoe.
If a shoe is part of the Nike CONSIDERED range, then it has been designed to create significantly less waste. The pieces for the upper have been nested to reduce the amount of waste produced at the cutting stage. These pieces are then stitched with the seams on the outside, keeping the inside of the shoe smooth to reduce the need for linings, and with seam-lines cleverly placed to structure the shape of the shoe, reducing the need for additional components for reinforcement.
On the two-part sole, the mid-sole is made from Phylon which has been injection moulded, as this creates less waste than cutting the material to shape. The outsole is made from Nike Grind, a material made from recycled rubber waste collected at Nike’s contract factories.
Another benefit of the modular sole is that the components are easier to separate, and thus easier to recycle as part of Nike’s ongoing Reuse-A-Shoe programme (www.nikereuseashoe.com). The fact that the upper is stitched rather than glued means it is easier to strip down to sort in the recycling process. As a finishing touch, the packaging of the considered shoes is made from recycled cardboard.
“I think the whole idea is much bigger than we can fully understand,” said Richard Clarke, the designer of the Nike ACG Considered range. “We don’t know where it will take us. This is only the beginning; expect the unexpected. Nike considered involves a long-term commitment and vision.”
