Procurment
Integrating Sustainability into Nike's Procurement Process
A key element of NIKE, Inc.'s corporate responsibility strategy is integrating knowledge and values across our organization. It's a marathon, not a sprint. One example of integration comes from Global Procurement, which sources non-product suppliers for Nike (processes for selecting and monitoring product suppliers are described in the Workers and Factories section).
Over the past five years, Global Procurement has partnered with several NIKE, Inc. functions to increase the sustainability of the goods and services they buy. The team leverages NIKE, Inc.'s purchasing power by communicating sustainability objectives to suppliers and potential suppliers, and challenges them to deliver innovative goods and services to meet our objectives.
We think this is an important way to help build markets for more sustainable - and affordable - choices. We saw this dynamic play out in a multi-year project to shift toward more environmentally friendly materials and processes in Nike's retail bag program in the United States. Building on this and other lessons learned, we began evaluating the CR performance of current and prospective suppliers.
A Better Bag
When we began looking into improving the sustainability of retail bags, we first awarded business only to printers that were third-party certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). At that time, FSC-certified paper was available but too costly. We encouraged printers to work on Nike's behalf to find acceptable FSC-certified materials.
Four years have passed since this process started, and we now source bags using 100-percent FSC-certified paper printed at FSC-certified printers using soy-based inks and distributed by an FSC-certified fulfillment company. The complete chain of custody allows Nike to use the FSC certification number and logo on all retail bags in North America and Singapore. We will roll other regions into the program as materials
A key element of NIKE, Inc.'s corporate responsibility strategy is integrating knowledge and values across our organization. It's a marathon, not a sprint. One example of integration comes from Global Procurement, which sources non-product suppliers for Nike (processes for selecting and monitoring product suppliers are described in the Workers and Factories section).
Over the past five years, Global Procurement has partnered with several NIKE, Inc. functions to increase the sustainability of the goods and services they buy. The team leverages NIKE, Inc.'s purchasing power by communicating sustainability objectives to suppliers and potential suppliers, and challenges them to deliver innovative goods and services to meet our objectives.
We think this is an important way to help build markets for more sustainable - and affordable - choices. We saw this dynamic play out in a multi-year project to shift toward more environmentally friendly materials and processes in Nike's retail bag program in the United States. Building on this and other lessons learned, we began evaluating the CR performance of current and prospective suppliers.
A Better Bag
When we began looking into improving the sustainability of retail bags, we first awarded business only to printers that were third-party certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). At that time, FSC-certified paper was available but too costly. We encouraged printers to work on Nike's behalf to find acceptable FSC-certified materials.
Four years have passed since this process started, and we now source bags using 100-percent FSC-certified paper printed at FSC-certified printers using soy-based inks and distributed by an FSC-certified fulfillment company. The complete chain of custody allows Nike to use the FSC certification number and logo on all retail bags in North America and Singapore. We will roll other regions into the program as materials