Have you ever wondered what happens to clothes and merchandise that large chain retailers don’t sell? Well apparently NIKE chooses to destroy perfectly good shoes and throw them in the trash.
The New York Times just released a story of a man coming across trash bags full of NIKE shoes, clothing and merchandise outside their massive Soho store. The seemingly brand new shoes were slashed opened from tip to toe, rendering them unwearable.
Why would NIKE choose to do this? We're unsure. But one thing we are sure of, is that every pair of shoes destroyed is a waste of the 30+ raw materials they’re comprised of, the time and energy of over 1 million people who manufacture NIKE shoes in overseas factories, the fossil fuel it takes to ship those shoes from overseas and distribute them to stores across the globe, and the space they will unnecessarily take up in already overflowing landfill.
NIKE hasn’t chosen to release a statement about this wasteful behaviour. But we think they should.
NIKE: Why are you destroying perfectly wearable shoes and clothing?
More information
Esquire. 30 January 2017.
The New York Times. 26 January 2017.
