US sports brand Nike has set environmental and social targets as a part of its vision for a low-carbon, closed-loop future. The targets to be achieved by 2020 include having zero waste from contracted footwear manufacturing sent to landfill or incineration without energy recovery, sourcing 100 per cent of products from contract factories meeting the company's definition of sustainable, and achieving a 10 per cent reduction in the average product environmental footprint and an increased use of more sustainable materials overall.

Other sustainability targets include: increase in water efficiency by 18 per cent per unit in apparel material dyeing and finishing, and working with fewer, better contract factories. The brand’s use of environmentally preferred materials has increased overall.

Nike believes it is not enough to adapt to what the future may bring. It believes in creating the future it wants to see through sustainable innovation. The company’s teams are advancing ambitious new business models and partnerships that can scale unprecedented change across the business and the industry.

Nike has set a moon shot challenge to double its business with half the impact. It's a challenge it has set for itself, its collaborators and its partners as Nike moves toward a circular economy future. This is a bold ambition that's going to take much more than incremental efficiency – it's going to take innovation on a never seen before scale.

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