Nike announced today the start of “Nike Refurbished”, a project that aims to give new life to little-used or slightly defective shoes. All this will implement the commitments undertaken by the company towards the environment. A type of circular economy is being promoted, aimed at reducing waste of materials, increasing the green footprint of the Swoosh.
Nike will operate on three different types of sneakers, each of which will face a distant future based on the conditions in which it is found. The categories in which the shoes will be divided are: “as new”, used for a day or at most two before being returned; “Lightly used” those returned within the standard 60 days; “Defective”, shoes with very slight manufacturing defects.
After a shoe is returned, within the 60 days provided for by Nike’s policy, the company takes charge of the product by inserting it within the “Nike Refurbished” program. Each pair is then carefully analyzed and subsequently evaluated. Then the shoes are arranged so that they can be brought back to an almost perfect state. Once this process is finished, the shoe is ready to be put back on sale at a lower price than the original.
Prev
Next
The packaging will indicate the origin and degree of an initial evaluation.
Prev
Next
If the returned shoe is irreparable and in poor condition, Nike will donate it to charity. Alternatively, it will be included within the Nike Grind program, where the materials will be chopped, collected, and reused.
At the moment, only 15 stores in the United States have joined the Nike Refurbished program. The Swoosh ensures that the project is continuously expanding, and over the next few months, other stores will join the initiative. The complete list of stores can be found here.
