Spring and summer 2022 offer an array of products that move Nike closer to meeting its 2025 sustainability targets, all while treading a little lighter on the planet.
Source: Move to Zero Collections Spring Summer 2022 Official Images
Nike consistently promotes their commitment to sustainability. The Move to Zero program is admirable, but introducing collections to consumers with carefully crafted, light, stylish imagery undercuts the reality of Nike’s actions. I’m a huge fan of Nike. I have artwork on my walls of Jordan sneakers. I have sneakers and apparel and I recently picked up training clothing for my daughter. I’m a hypocrite who has become more thoughtful about my consumption over the years. Why am I a hypocrite? I write articles like this explaining how Nike has made a decision to erase any work in Move to Zero with their purchase of RTFKT and the impending launch of NFTs.
I show this image of cool apparel, produced with a better method of make, “each piece in the capsule is made with at least 50 percent recycled and/or organic materials,” and I know this picture alone will sell units. I realize that Nike really did create a better collection, and this is definitely one of their most sustainable drops in the company’s history, but I immediately juxtapose it with this information on NFTs:
From Pipe Dream: According to CBS News, Ethereum, the most-used NFT blockchain, is “currently estimated to consume roughly 44.94 terawatt-hours of electrical energy, which is comparable to the yearly power consumption of countries like Qatar and Hungary. [Ethereum] is responsible for about 21.35 metric tons of carbon dioxide released each year, comparable to the carbon footprint of Sudan.” Even individual NFTs require massive amounts of energy and have some impact on the environment. Memo Akten, a digital artist, “analyzed about 18,000 NFTs, finding that the average NFT has a carbon footprint equivalent to more than a month of electricity usage for the average person living in the European Union,” according to CBS News, and emissions released by NFT transactions are thought to be “10 times higher than that of an average Ethereum transaction.” The entire system of NFT transactions, from the medium they are bought and sold on to the tokens themselves, is producing an unsustainable rate of emissions. The global environmental situation is already dire by most accounts, and NFTs are only making it worse.
I know that RTFKT and Nike will sell more NFTs than any other brand in the sneaker industry. I know that I should stop wearing and supporting brands who contribute to harming the environment with wasteful, digital collections. I’m the embodiment of a knowledgeable consumer who recognizes that sustainability isn’t an easy topic to discuss. Businesses are designed to make money. In order to engage the consumer new products are introduced to build interest and excitement. The endgame is to separate the buyer from their dollar. Doing this is becoming more difficult as consumers are more informed about how apparel is leading to ever expanding landfills, which leads to carbon emissions and greenhouse gases.
I’m the consumer willing to overlook Nike’s move to NFTs with RTFKT which is completely counter to their Move to Zero. Because I like to be fresh, I give Nike a pass. I know that Dunk pictured above is going to do numbers. I know that Nike’s MNLTH drop with RTFKT is at 8,800+ owners which is like running the household of 8,800 plus people for more “than a month of electricity usage for the average person living in the European Union.” I also realize that Nike made $104,286,641.97 dollars without shipping or producing a single item of apparel or footwear. I wonder if other fans of the brand are feeling as conflicted as I do?