going green

Thursday, March 03, 2005
HELEN JUNG

Nike is known for designing shoes so striking that footwear fans admiringly collect them by the dozens, and customers wait in line for hours to spend $150 or more on the latest release. But making hemp look hip? That's a whole new challenge as the Beaverton-based company grapples with going green.

In February, Nike started selling five models of casual shoes and boots that it says use environmentally sustainable materials and manufacturing processes. Called Nike Considered, the new line of shoes is part of the company's overall effort to research ways to reduce waste, eliminate toxic substances and otherwise lessen the environmental impact of the world's largest sneaker manufacturer.

Among other changes, the Nike Considered shoes are largely made with materials found within 200 miles of the factory, to cut down on fuel consumption in transporting them. The leather comes from a tannery that recycles wastewater to ensure that no toxins are released into the environment, and it is pigmented using vegetable dyes. Hemp and polyester are used to make the shoe's woven upper and shoelaces. The midsole is cut to lock into the outer sole, lessening the need for adhesives in constructing the shoe. The shoe's outer sole includes recycled rubber.

The shoes, with suggested retail prices of $65 for sandals to $110 for boots, aren't designed for heavy-duty hiking or sport, said Nate Tobecksen, a Nike spokesman.

They also don't have the sleek, stylized design that Nike is known for. With the woven upper and natural vegetable dye color of the leather, some of the shoes resemble a macrame moccasin or a woven wallaby that looks mistakenly imprinted with the Nike swoosh.

But as consumers flaunt their environmental consciousness with purchases that show their inner greenie -- such as the snout-nosed, gas-electric hybrid Toyota Prius -- the unrefined look of the shoes may well be a selling point.

The shoes are finding retail space in places as dissimilar as the down-to-earth Recreational Equipment Inc. to the tony Barneys New York Co-op stores.

"The design of the shoe is definitely a conversation piece. The pattern and components used in the production of the shoes -- especially the Considered Boot -- are innovative," said Monique Soulet, an associate buyer for Barneys Men's Co-op shoes. "Our co-op customers are fashion-savvy and are willing to take chances on patterns that diverge from the beaten path."
But the environmental aspect is also part of its appeal, she said.

For outdoor-gear retailer REI, the shoes "have an aesthetic about them that's cool, and it tries to tell a little about the story just in the design of the shoes," said Mike Foley, spokesman for REI, which carries two models of the shoes in nine stores and on its Web site. "They look environmental."

It remains to be seen how popular they become with consumers, said Matt Powell, contributing editor for trade publication Sports Executive Weekly.

"I think it's great that Nike is trying to be a good corporate citizen," Powell said. "But the consumer who's going to appreciate this is relatively small."

Still, if there's not a commercial market for the shoes themselves, Nike probably will find ways to incorporate some of the environmentally friendly elements into other shoes, he said.

Suppliers said they are also seeing more interest, not only from Nike, but also from Adidas-Salomon AG, Reebok Ltd. and others in using more environmentally friendly materials, said Paul Pellati, a sales executive for Sadesa, a company in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that provides leather to shoe companies.

Using vegetable dyes and other natural pigments is more expensive, he said. But once enough consumers are willing to pay more, shoe companies will widely use such materials. Then, he said, "we're all off to the races."

The move not only fits in with Nike's environmental goals, but it also gives an image boost to an often-vilified corporation. Nike should be applauded and encouraged to do more, said Amanda Chehrezad, a spokeswoman for Co-op America, a nonprofit that urges businesses, consumers and investors to spend their money using socially and environmentally responsible practices.

"When larger companies do decide to take significant changes to create new products using environmental and social standards, we think it's a great step for them and we always like to see them do that," Chehrezad said. "We just encourage them to keep going and incorporating more efforts into their other practices and production areas," she said, such as ensuring Nike's contract factories are paying and treating workers fairly.

Nike is continuing to develop new models, the company's Tobecksen said. The company is working on more products to bring to market in June, with additional designs to roll out through spring 2006.

Meantime, while the current shoes aren't exactly the most mainstream of looks, Tobecksen said, "Stay tuned."

"The next generation," he said, "will have possibly more of a design that may be more in line with people's perceptions of a sneaker."