Mit climate colab and nike call for materials innovation to combat climate change. As part of NIKE, Inc.’s strategic focus to reduce its environmental footprint and enable business growth, the company announced two efforts aimed at furthering that commitment: a collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Climate CoLab to bring innovation in materials to the forefront of the climate conversation and a commitment to reach 100-percent renewable energy in company-owned-and-operated facilities by 2025.According to research by MIT’s Materials System Laboratory about the global impact of materials on climate change, the global apparel industry is expected to produce more than 400 billion square meters of fabric per year – representing nearly enough material to cover the state of California – and is estimated to consume nearly 1 billion kWh (kilowatt hour) of electricity every year. According to the research, creating and processing materials are significant contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions.
To target the environmental impacts that extend beyond materials, Nike also announced its commitment to reach 100-percent renewable energy in company-owned or operated facilities by 2025.
Nike has already implemented on-site renewable energy generation at some of its largest facilities, including solar panels at the China Logistics Center in Taicang, and solar panels and wind turbines at the company’s renewable energy-powered European Logistics Campus in Belgium.
Beyond its own operations, for more than a decade Nike has worked with its contract factories to help them implement programs to understand their energy use and climate impacts, increase their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon emissions.
