During the mid-1990s, clothing and apparel corporations began receiving pushback from consumers regarding social, environmental and economic sustainability. In an effort to qualify the process of investing in corporate sustainability, University of Missouri researchers examined two major international apparel brands, Nike and Adidas, to determine the paths taken to reach corporate sustainability. Saheli Goswami, a doctoral student in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences, says that while both companies are currently models of corporate sustainability, they took very different paths to reach the end goal.

Goswami and Jung Ha-Brookshire, an associate professor of textile and apparel management at MU, in their study examined the strategies used by Nike and Adidas from 1995 to 2012 to improve their environmental impacts, working conditions in their manufacturing plants, and other factors for sustainability. The researchers found that Adidas seemed to have been proactive early, establishing that they wanted to be a leader in the corporate sustainability movement. The researchers determined that Adidas, being an international and European brand, was motivated to become more sustainable due to opportunity for exposure through FIFA, the international soccer organization that runs the World Cup.

On the other hand, the MU researchers found that Nike initially seemed to have been resistant to the idea of corporate sustainability, actively resisting change and consumer protest in the late 1990s. Nike then appeared to take a reactionary approach until 2004, when the company decided to become transparent about their production practices. By 2010, Nike fully had transitioned to view sustainability as a driver of growth and a core business strategy. Goswami says this is an important realization for other companies to observe.