Nike

Nike Brand Overview

Nike footwear is produced in countries known to have lax human rights and labour laws, which has resulted in Nike being associated with human rights abuses over the years. In recent years, Nike has at least improved their transparency about who is producing their shoes and supplying the materials used to make them, and where these companies are located. Nike has also recently made some efforts to address carbon emissions and production waste.

About Nike Footwear

Founded as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964, Nike is an American multi-national corporation that has been introducing new models of shoes into an ever expanding line-up since 1972. With its headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, USA, Nike serves a worldwide market with a constantly evolving footwear catalogue, that includes niche and hard to find vegan athletic footwear, such as soccer cleats, football cleats, tennis shoes, badminton shoes, track spikes, and many others.

Which Nike shoes are vegan?

Here is the information we've received from Nike (May 26, 2022) with regard to which of their models are vegan friendly, and which aren't:
RUNNING, TRAINING: All performance shoes are free of animal products. They’re made up of textile material (mesh, flyknit, Dri-FIT, etc.) and/or synthetic leather. Please note, the Monarch is a Training/Lifestyle shoe and includes some leather.
BASKETBALL: Most are made of synthetic leather material and free of animal products.
SPORTSWEAR/LIFESTYLE, JORDAN: Most include leather elements.
GLOBAL FOOTBALL (SOCCER): Most styles are made of synthetic leather. The exception is the Tiempo line, as many of these classic styles use kangaroo leather.
YOUNG ATHLETE – Many may have leather elements.
Nike also said, "Remember, some running, training, and basketball styles will release as Lifestyle models and may incorporate leather elements."

Are Nike football cleats, soccer cleats & track spikes vegan?

When we asked to clarify whether or not their football cleats & soccer cleats are free of animal-derived glues, they told us, "yes, as mentioned, all adhesives or glues used in our shoes (any kind of shoes) are synthetic and free of animal byproducts."

Does Nike use synthetic glue for ethical reasons?

Nike doesn't appear to use synthetic glue for ethical reasons, as they still use leather in many of their shoe models. It's more likely that they use synthetic glue over animal-derived glues for cost, quality, or product availability reasons.

What materials are used to make Nike shoes?

In terms of their vegan-friendly shoes, Nike uses a combination of the following materials:
UPPERS: Flyknit (yarn made from recycled plastic bottles); synthetic materials (not specified, likely proprietary).
MISOLE: Foam, sometimes containing carbon fibre.
COLLAR: Foam.
STRAPS: Some models feature a hook-and-loop strap made from TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane).
OUTSOLE: Rubber.
ADHESIVES: According to Nike, all of their adhesives are synthetic, and free from animal-derived materials. You can see our correspondence with them here with regard to this.
PLEASE NOTE: In their non-vegan shoes, Nike shoes contain leather (from unspecified animals, although sometimes they specify kangaroo leather, like in certain soccer/football cleats, namely the Tiempo line).

Are the materials used to make Nike shoes eco-friendly/sustainable?

Many of the materials Nike uses to make their shoes (such as their foam and rubber) are synthetic, which are harmful for the planet in terms of the harmful chemicals used to make them, and their inability to biodegrade easily. When combined with the fact that Nike sells millions of pairs of shoes per year, and is constantly developing new models, this becomes a real problem. Nike does have a plan to “achieve zero discharge of hazardous chemicals (ZDHC)," and to "adopt clean chemistry alternatives for our 10 priority chemistries across our supply chain," although this admits that their supply chain currently involves the discharge of hazardous chemicals.
The good news, is that Nike acknowledges that they are not perfect in terms of the impact their materials have on the planet, and are a driving force for sustainable innovation. For example, Nike’s Flyknit shoe is arguably the most groundbreaking sneaker innovation in over 40 years. The revolutionary method of manufacturing enables Nike to create high quality, high-performance shoes, while reducing the amount of materials used and cutting waste by 80%. According to a report by New York University Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business, Nike has saved 3.5 million pounds of waste since Flyknit’s launch and diverted 182 million plastic bottles from 9 landfills by switching to recycled polyester in all Nike Flyknit shoes. Since 2008, all Nike Air soles are composed of at least 50% recycled manufacturing waste. Nike claims to reuse more than 90% of the waste from materials used for their Air soles to make new, innovative cushioning systems. Nike is also a member of a number of corporate responsibility and sustainability organizations, and state that they are committed to solving critical issues in their value chain, including in such areas as:
-Energy & Emissions
-Water
-Chemistry
-Materials
-Labour
-General commitments
-Inclusion
You can read more about Nike’s sustainability commitments here. It’s also worth pointing out that Nike still uses leather in many of its shoe models, particularly in its Lifestyle and Air Jordan lines, and specifically uses kangaroo leather in its Tiempo soccer/football boot/cleat line.

Can I recycle my Nike shoes?

According to Nike, "yes, when your shoes can't handle another mile, trip up the court, or cut across the field, we want them back." To participate in Nike's shoe recycling program, all you have to do is drop off your old Nikes to one of their retail locations. They'll even take old pairs of athletic shoes from any brand, just not sandals, dress shoes, boots, or shoes with metal (like cleats or spikes).

Is Nike a charitable company?

Yes, Nike is a charitable company. Through the Nike Community Impact Fund, Nike partners with various charities and non-profits to award one-year grants to local organizations that are making a positive impact through play, sport and other community-based initiatives in the “key cities and communities where our employees live and work.” However, these cities and communities don't include those in which their shoes are actually made. You can learn more about their community impact efforts here.

Does production of Nike shoes create a lot of CO2 emissions?

Although they don’t break it down specifically by type of product produced, overall, Nike produced roughly 8 million tonnes of green house gas (GHG) emissions in 2021, according to their FY21 Impact Report. This report also shows the current level of C02 emissions created relative to their science-based targets, as well as their projected emissions without mitigation.
Nike has also laid out some ambitious 2025 GHG emissions commitments, which includes a 70% absolute reduction of GHG emissions in owned or operated facilities, through 100% renewable electricity and fleet electrification. Their plan also includes GHG emissions from key suppliers’ manufacturing and transportation operations being at or below 2020 levels, despite anticipated business growth, through the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and alternative fuels. Nike’s 2025 commitment also includes a 0.5M ton reduction in of GHG emissions, through increasing their use of environmentally preferred materials to 50% of all key materials, including polyester, cotton, leather, and rubber.
It’s worth noting that NIKE claims to now be at 78% of their 100% renewable energy target in owned or operated facilities.

Where can I buy Nike shoes?

Nike is the most ubiquitous shoe company in the world. You can buy them from the Nike website, as well as a host of other online retailers, like Amazon, Zappos, The Bay, and countless others. You can also find them in Nike-branded stores worldwide, and in various 3rd party retailers, including large department stores. Just make sure you're buying Nike shoes without "leather" in the description.

Do Nike shoes ever go on sale?

Yes, on their website, Nike offers 10% off discounts to a variety different groups, such as: eligible high school, college, and university students in the US; all active, reservist, veteran, and retired US military personnel; and eligible first responders and medical professionals in the US.. They also have a sales sections on their website for men's, women's, boy's, and girl's shoes, and offer exclusive discounts and promotions to Nike members.

Where are Nike shoes made?

Nike's shoe materials, and final products, are made in several countries across Asia, Europe, and South America, as follows ("M" = "materials," and "FG" = "finished goods"):
-China (M, FG)
-Vietnam (M, FG)
-Thailand (M)
-South Korea (M, FG)
-Indonesia (M, FG)
-India (FG)
-Taiwan (M, FG)
-Japan (M, FG)
-Sri Lanka (FG)
-Italy (FG)
-United Kingdom (M)
-Bosnia (FG)
-South America
-Brazil (FG)
-Argentina (FG)
Nike is actually fairly transparent about which companies are supplying their raw materials and making their shoes, and where. In fact, since 2005 they've disclosed the independent factories contracted to make Nike products. On their website, Nike has an interactive tool you can use to get more information about these companies and factories. For ease of reference, we've made a PDF showing where their shoes are made, and by whom.

Are Nike shoes ethically made?

According to Nike's Statement on Forced Labor, "We work to elevate human potential through our products, partnerships and operations, something that cannot be accomplished without a fundamental respect for human rights throughout NIKE’s operations. We expect the same from our suppliers, and focus on working with long-term, strategic suppliers that demonstrate a commitment to engaging their workers, providing safe working conditions and advancing environmental responsibility. This includes working to combat risks of forced labor."
However, Nike has a long history of dubious labour practices as a result of choosing to make its shoes in countries with weak labour laws and regulations; they've often been accused of using "sweatshop" labour in Asia.
As reported upon by The Washington Post in 2020, a major controversy that Nike was involved with recently in Laixi, China, involved the alleged use of forced labour by Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co., a Nike supplier for more than 30 years and one of the Nike's largest contracted factories. According to a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the Taekwang factory is one of many where Uighurs (ethnic Uighurs from China’s western Xinjiang region) are working “under conditions that strongly suggest forced labor” to make goods for more than 80 established global brands.
In response to, Nike released a statement about these allegations saying, “Related to the Taekwang Group, when reports of the situation in XUAR began to surface in 2019 Taekwang stopped hiring new employees from the XUAR to its Qingdao facility and an independent third-party audit confirmed there are no longer any employees from XUAR at the facility. Our ongoing diligence has not found evidence of employment of Uyghurs, or other ethnic minorities from the XUAR, elsewhere in our supply chain in China.”
As far as their broader labour practices re concerned, according to Nike, “We regularly audit contract factories, which are monitored on a schedule based on their performance. These assessments take the form of audit visits, both announced and unannounced, to measure against the NIKE Code of Conduct, Code Leadership Standards and local law. NIKE audits assess the risks of forced labor, including the employment of vulnerable worker groups such as foreign migrants, interns and temporary workers and high-risk practices such as payment of recruitment fees or restrictions on freedom of movement. More information on NIKE’s audit program can be found in the NIKE Impact Report.”

Nike Vegan Shoe Options

As for which specific products in their footwear catalogue are vegan, Nike was only able to provide us with a general overview - pretty much telling us that all footwear uses synthetic glue, and that some footwear uses the leather of various animals (including kangaroo) or other animal-derived materials. So any Nike footwear not using animal-derived materials, like leather or suede, as their main material, or as an adornment, accent or other element, would technically be vegan.