For Nike, leather is a material that is featured in many footwear styles. However, leather also has the second-highest environmental impact on Nike’s carbon emissions and water usage.
Because of that, Nike has come up with a solution: Nike Flyleather.
Nike Flyleather is made with the 30 percent of a cow’s hide that is discarded during the typical leather manufacturing process. Nike takes what is not used and turns it into fibers, which are then combined with synthetic fibers and a fabric infrastructure to form one material. That material then goes through a finishing process, including pigmentation, and is then put on a roll to be cut.
This process uses 90 percent less water and has an 80 percent lower carbon footprint that typical leather manufacturing. It results in about half of the carbon footprint compared to shoes made with traditional leather. And because it is produced on a roll, the Nike Flyleather improves cutting efficiency and creates less waste than traditional cut-and-sew methods for full-grain leather.
“Nike believes in science, and that climate change is real,” Hannah Jones, Nike Chief Sustainability Officer and VP of the Innovation Accelerator, said in a statement. “That’s why Flyleather is a game-changer. As we witness the impact of climate change, the world is getting after a low-carbon economy, and Nike is innovating it.”
According to Nike, the Flyleather in 40 percent lighter and five times stronger than traditional leather while still feeling and looking like premium leather.
“Nike Flyleather completely mimics athletics, pigmented full-grain leathers in everything from fit to touch,” Tony Bignell, Nike VP of Footwear Innovation, said in a statement. “Unlike with traditional leathers, Flyleather can be produced with a consistent grade across a broader range of product.”
Flyleather will first be featured on the Nike Flyleather Tennis Classic, an all-white version of the premium court shoe, which is available nike.com and in the Nike Soho store, NikeLab 21 Mercer and Dover Street Market in New York City.
Nike will also be releasing limited editions of the “next generation” Nike Flyleather footwear including the Air Force 1, Air Max 90, Cortez, Jordan 1 and Tennis Classic. These will be seen in New York during Climate Week NYC.
“Similar to what Nike Flyknit did for knit, Nike Flyleather can do for leather,” Nike Chief Design Officer John Hoke said in a statement. “New technologies and platforms allow us to get closer to working at the molecular level. Flyleather is the latest example of this, and is particularly exciting because it allows for increased potential to extend our craft with more precision. This means opportunity for greater strength, support, elasticity and so on, based on the needs of specific sports.”
