Nike calls for "bold solutions" to change apparel industry
29/04/2013
Along with NASA, the US Agency for International Development and the US Department of State, 150 materials specialists, designers, academics, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and NGOs met at the US-based Launch Summit to discuss textile innovation.
Nike CEO Mark Parker said: “Innovation is most powerful when it’s activated by collaboration between unlikely partners, coupled with investment, marketing know-how and determination. Now is the time for big, bold solutions. Incremental change won’t get us where we need to go fast enough or at a scale that makes a difference.”
The companies used the event to present the Launch 2013 Challenge Statement, an open call for innovation to transform the system of producing fabrics. The project is open to individuals and teams, 10 of which will be selected to take part in a programme that provides access to capital, "creativity" and capacity.
It is estimated about 150 billion garments were produced around the world in 2010, and by 2015, the global apparel industry is expected to produce more than 400 billion square metres of fabric every year.
Hannah Jones, Nike’s vice-president of sustainable business and innovation, said: “About 60% of the environmental footprint of a pair of Nike shoes is embedded in the materials used to make them. When you multiply that across our business, and across the industry, it’s clear that innovation in sustainable materials is a huge opportunity, not just for Nike, but for the world.”
Founded in 2010, Launch identifies and supports visionaries whose ideas, technologies or programmes have the potential to "create a better world".
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