Global sporting brand Nike recently announced the launch of a new recycling program called Nike Refurbished. The program allows customers to return their old Nike shoes, which will then be collected by the brand and either resold, donated, or recycled.
Nike Refurbished is part of the brand’s Move to Zero initiative, through which the company seeks to lower its carbon footprint, reduce waste, and make their offerings more circular.
Three types of footwear are accepted to the program: almost new (worn for a day or two before being returned), gently worn (worn for a little while), and cosmetically flawed (i.e. a stain, mark, discolouration, or small snag that occurred during the manufacturing process).
In order to have the honour of being refurbished, the shoes must be returned to Nike within the 60-day return window. From there, the shoes will be inspected, cleaned, sanitized, and refurbished by hand by a Nike team member, before being put back on the shelf for resale. In addition, each pair of refurbished shoes will be assigned a condition grade and priced accordingly.
Consumers will then be able to scan a QR code on the shoe box to see the shoe’s history and grading. Nike notes that all Nike Refurbished footwear is covered by a 60-day wear test, whereby the consumers are still able to return the shoes for a full refund within 60 days of purchasing them should they wish to do so.
Gently worn footwear that isn’t eligible to be refurbished by Nike will automatically be donated to one of their local community partners.
Lastly, for shoes that are cosmetically flawed or are no longer wearable, the brand will recycle them by grinding them up into pellets using the Nike Grind machine. Afterwards, they will be upcycled into new materials or products, such as gym floors, tracks, basketball courts, or new pairs of shoes.
All images in this article are courtesy of Nike.
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