The organizers of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit have welcomed Nike into its group of Strategic Partners, a “hand-picked” cadre of sustainability leaders that includes Bestseller, H&M, Kering, Li & Fung, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and Target.
With Nike’s inclusion, the group expands into the athletic segment, “tapping into another important part of the fashion industry,” the Global Fashion Agenda announced on Thursday.
As a Strategic Partner, Nike will wield its expertise to shape the Global Fashion Agenda’s sustainability roadmap and thought-leadership content while ultimately helping the industry change the way it produces, markets and consumes fashion, the organization said.
“Nike has been a leader in sustainability for many years and we’ve had them on our radar as a potential partner for a very long time. They come with excellent skills and experience that will enhance our efforts, and we’re beyond excited to have them as partners in shaping the initiatives of Global Fashion Agenda going forward,” Eva Kruse, CEO and president of Global Fashion Agenda, said in a statement. “Having an athletic company in our group will not only help push the agenda in an important segment, but with Nike’s global reach and innovative thinking, they’ll be able to help us propel the agenda further.”
Nike has made great strides in the sustainability space, delivering innovations such as Flyknit, a manufacturing technique that leaves behind 60 percent less waste, and Air, a range of shoes with soles that contain at least 50 percent recycled materials. In 2017, the sportswear giant introduced Flyleather, a composite material, derived from ground leather scraps, that uses 90 percent less water than traditional full-grain leather. It’s also one of the biggest users of recycled polyester derived from post-consumer plastic bottles.
In addition, Nike is the author of the open-source Materials Sustainability Index, which catalogs and compares 57,000 different materials from more than 700 vendors.
“At Nike, sustainability is embedded into everything we do. It’s a driving force for innovation, and we believe that there should be no compromise between sustainability, style and performance,” said Noel Kinder, chief sustainability officer at Nike. “We’re looking forward to working with Global Fashion Agenda to accelerate sustainability in the industry.”