Manufacturing Industry

NRC partners with Nike - Back Page - expands Reuse-A-Shoe program to 25 communities in US - Brief Article

Recycling Today, Feb, 2003

The National Recycling Coalition (NRC), Washington, has announced a partnership with Nike that expands the Reuse-A-Shoe program to 25 communities across the United States.

Community recycling centers will be able to add used athletic footwear to existing recycling programs. Since the launch of the Reuse-A-Shoe expansion to NRC members in November 2002, 19 recycling organizations have committed to collecting a minimum of 5,000 pairs of old athletic shoes by June 2003.

In addition, participating recycling organizations have the chance to apply for two $25,000 seed grants to be applied toward a new sports surface made with Nike Grind, the material resulting from the recycled athletic shoes.

"Closing the recycling loop is a shared responsibility, from collecting and processing used items like athletic shoes, to recycling them into new products like sports surfaces, to buying and using those recycled products in our every day lives," says Kate Krebs, executive director of the NRC. "Manufacturers and retailers, consumers, and recycling professionals must all work together."

Under the partnership, the NRC will educate its national network of 20 state affiliates and more than 4,000 member recycling organizations and advocates around the country about the Reuse-A-Shoe program. Nike will manage transportation logistics, recycle the shoes at its Wilsonville, Ore., recycling center and provide Nike Grind material to its strategic licensee partners--FieldTurf, Rebound Ace, Atlas Track and Connor--for use in sports surfaces. Nike and the NRC will provide communication tools to promote collection efforts, such as customizable radio spots and media releases.

For more information about the Reuse-A-Shoe program, visit www.nikebiz.com/reuseashoe.> [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]