When giant corporations take small steps in their environmental footprint, it can make ‘giant leaps’ as a whole. Adidas recently started teaming up with Parley to create shoes and gear made from ocean plastic.
Now Nike is making some steps of their own, with a Plant Color Collection that utilizes natural plant dyes instead of traditional ones. The result is a muted and almost pastel rainbow of color.
In addition, Nike is using a product called Flyleather, which utilizes leftover leather scraps, that are then bonded together and made into fresh product. Again, these are small steps towards a more sustainable future, but we love to see the innovation from large companies like these. Via Nike:
An animation showing the process of making Nike Flyleather.
During a typical leather manufacturing process, scrap pieces are discarded and often end up in a landfill. Flyleather is composed of that discarded leather scrap from the tannery floor. The scraps are combined with synthetic fibers and a fabric infrastructure via a hydro process with a force that’s so strong, it fuses everything into one material. The material then goes through a finishing process, which can include things like pigmentation, and is put on a roll to be cut.
