Incredible as it seems, Nike is about to start marketing the 23rd Air Jordan sneaker. The fact that 23 was Michael Jordan’s jersey number makes it special from one vantage point. From my perspective it’s special for another reason as well: The Air Jordan XX3 is also Nike’s first basketball shoe designed under its "Considered" ethos, which is intended to reduce waste and use environmentally friendly materials wherever possible.
Check out Nike’s press release announcing the new shoe here.
According to Nike’s Web site:
Here’s Hatfield talking about the shoe:
When an iconic product like the Air Jordan goes green, its time to take note of the degree to which green products and environmental consciousness has permeated the American culture. If someone down in marketing thinks that the guys playing ball on this city’s playground basketball courts care about sustainability—then I’m a happy camper. Some of this is of course just PR and marketing. But that is actually the point. If our advertising gurus are pushing green then we have a happy convergence of doing good and doing well. It means that environmental quality is no longer something we have to suffer to achieve. With brains and forethought we can have fancy sneakers that have as little environmental impact as possible.
The idea that we have to trade off economic growth and environmental protection is an ideological vestige of an earlier time. The field of industrial ecology is a part of engineering that has the goal of producing products that do not produce waste. This can go way beyond public relations all the way to reality.
Nike is not the only company moving quickly to make green products. Wal-Mart and Target are both reducing the amount of toxic materials contained in some of its products and packaging. Donna Karen New York is introducing a line of sustainable clothes, Cannon is making “green friendly” printers, and children’s publisher Scholastic is dramatically increasing its use of recycled and Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper.
All of this is just the tip of the iceberg. The idea that well manufactured, high quality products should be made according to green principles is in its infancy. Will it go the way of the beanie babies, hoola hoops and lava lamps? I don’t think so. The movement to protect the environment has grown steadily over the past half century or more, defying all predictions that it was just a passing fad. I guess people just like to breathe.
Now that we see sustainable $175 Air Jordans—someone should call Stephon Marbury and see if we can meet the real challenge of also making the $14.98 Starbury sneaker sustainable. Come on guys, we all want to be just like Mike.
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