Nike opens basketball courts made from recycled runners in Hong Kong
Used runners have been repurposed into a safe sports surface atop Hong Kong’s Shek Lei Shopping Centre at Kwai Chung in an extension of a recycling initiative by sportswear giant Nike. Some 20,000 worn-out shoes have been converted into a substance called Nike Grind, which blends recycled and regenerated plastic, rubber, foam, fibre, leather, textiles and other materials to create a basketball court surface. Nike Grind dates back to a grassroots initiative to repurpose old shoes in the US back in 1992 which has so far repurposed more than 32 million pairs of sneakers. Over successive decades, it has developed into a global sustainability program that Nike says will continue to positively change landfill landscapes forever. Now the program has been launched in Hong Kong – which has a vibrant sneaker culture – and the new court is a working demonstration of what can be achieved when people return shoes to be repurposed rather than toss them out to end up in landfills. Collection points have been established which accept all athletic sneakers (but not sandals, dress shoes, boots, or shoes with metal fittings like cleats or spikes). The used sneakers will be recycled and given a new life by a local creative studio. The court at Shek Lei has a court top designed by illustrator and toy designer James Jarvis adding a colourful attraction which can be seen from hundreds of surrounding apartments. Nike wants Shek Lei Grind Court to serve as a community hub where less privileged youth can play, engage and build self-esteem through active participation in sport. To kick the initiative off, Nike is partnering with InspiringHK Sports Foundation, a local NGO that aims to promote social mobility and inclusion through kids and youth engagement in sports, using the court to benefit kids and youth to experience the power of sports. The space was chosen because it is surrounded by about 10 schools and within the grassroots community, children may have limited access to a healthy sporty lifestyle as there is little leisure area and living space is extremely packed. The side-by-side kids- and standard-sized basketball courts will serve as an accessible sports community hub for the less privileged kids and families. “At Nike, we know that the future of sport is directly connected to the future of our planet,” said Nike’s chief sustainability officer Noel Kinder. “Every company has a footprint, and we want our footprint to help shape a better world. To do that, we’re harnessing Nike’s innovative spirit and scaling sustainable solutions to reduce waste and combat climate change,” he said. “Nike Grind is a testament to the power of Nike innovation and to our journey of pioneering and exploring sustainable solutions. Shek Lei Grind Court highlights how Nike Grind can turn waste into new opportunities for athletes to make sport a daily habit.”
dear Earth and Nike Team,
i m wondering , the company Nike produced every day many shoes and the question is , how many new shoes are fed to the Nike Grind without ever having used them . I think 40% !! NEW Shoes !!
Please see example factory , Moerbroek 28 Herenthout ; Belgien.
our society have a new shoe on the market every day ??
i not understand what Nike do It.
I have Nike Shoes and love the good feeling and construction for High Jump shoes –> great ,but Nike more and more Money and the Earth is collapses.