Last updated: 11/05/2023
Nike vegan plant-based shoes are labelled with “Sustainable Materials” or “Next Nature” and are made with at least 20% recycled content and glues and colours do not contain animal contents.
Benefits of Nike Vegan Shoes
- Cause less harm to animals
- Plant-based materials
- Kind to the environment
- Better production methods
Discover the Best Nike Walking Shoes That Are Also Vegan and Eco-Friendly
Nike has been expanding their offering of new recycled polyester and leather alternatives such as synthetic leathers, socks, laces, shoe linings and sock liners.
Do your feet feel painful and uncomfortable sometimes? Discover the 9 Best Nike Shoes For Wide Feet – That Feel Comfy.
Best Overall
Nike Air Force 1 ’07 Next Nature
The Nike Air Force One shoe offers all-day comfort. The bold overlay panels and padded collar feel great on your foot no matter the occasion. Did we mention they are made from vegan-friendly pleather (recycled synthetic materials)?
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Nike Dunk Desrupt Day
The exaggerated heel design with the Nike Grind (recycled) rubber outsole design adds added grip for sharp turns on and off the court. Exposed tongue inner cushioning blends retro vibes with a modern sleek design for a soft and comfy feeling.
Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Next Nature
The Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Next Nature is a true basketball court classic featuring animal-free leather on the upper, locked down by super stitching and the famous exposed spongy tongue.
Nike Court Vision Low Next Nature
Intended to bring a little 80s basketball culture back into the modern era. Vegan-friendly sourced crisp synthetic leather upper, stitched overlays, cushioned collar, and engraved rubber outsole offer the right amount of traction.
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Nike Crater Impact SE
Nike Crater Impact is part of Nike’s sustainability journey to turn waste into shoes. The quirky Embroidered Swoosh, on the upper, reduces the need for extra material to brand the lightweight sneaker.
Nike Waffle One Crater
Featuring a layered wedge waffle midsole heel designed for styling and functional stability. Takes inspiration from past Nike athletic sneakers with a twist adding eye-catching supportive squishy recycled midsole foam.
Space Hippie
The foam midsole and outsole are made from 12% Nike Grind rubber (recycled scraps) blended with foam for a sustainable, lightweight, and bouncy feel. The flexible flyknit upper is made from 85-90% recycled plastic bottles, t-shirts, and waste fibre waste.
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Nike Air Max Terrascape 90
Designed for any terrain, any time, any place. Not as bulky as past Air Max 90s. Encased recycled midsole for added durability. Triple stitching around the low padded collar to eliminate hot spots and keep your foot locked in.
Nike Air Max Terrascape Plus
The iconic 90s athletics sneaker has been adopted by the streets as a staple lifestyle must-have. The innovative Crater Foam with Air technology in the midsole adds essential cushioning for everyday wear. Woven open-mesh, cloudy soft layer, and rubber cage guard the foot with every step you take.
Nike Air Max Pre-Day
The Nike Air Max Pre-Day blends retro running shoe icons with a modern twist. Air bubble wrapped into a new look midsole heel tunnel ensures the sneaker will turn heads no matter where you are.
Nike Air Max Dawn
The Nike Air Max Dawn mingles retro athletic vibes with modern ingredients to make you feel and look as fly as ever. Midsole foam slopes at the heel for added energy and non-stop transitions with every step you take feeling amazing just like the last.
Best for Workouts
Nike Air VaporMax 2021 Flyknit
Imagine what it would be like to walk on clouds. The VaporMax feels exactly like that. The VaporMax 2021 Air bubble is made from recycled material and stretches from heel to toe in 1-piece for a smooth ride. Flyknit upper floats on your foot and is constructed from recycled junk.
Nike Zoom Alphafly Next Nature
Ever wonder what it’ll be like to finish a run while smashing your personal record? Well, wonder no more buddy made from recycled lightweight material in a woven pattern that adds airy vents.
Upper features Nike Flyprint technology, a futuristic 3D-printing design that feels locked in. Cool your feet with almost zero sweat retention to help keep your feet dry.
What is Nike Grind?
Nike Grind is the reuse and recycling of material waste from the footwear and apparel supply chain, to keep it away from landfill and being burnt.
Nike Grind is used in a variety of products such as; interlocking gym tiles, skateboard grip tape, e-bikes, scooter docking mats, rubber flooring in Nike retail stores, and basketball courts.
Nike defines open-loop recycling as the recycling of footwear waste by third parties into other products. The main source of recycled rubber is their Tier 1 factory waste and EVA foam.
Gartner named the Nike Grind Programme as a top three finalist out of 86 applicants for their 2021 Power of the Professions Award for Social Impact recognising their innovative circular supply chain.
Nike has made progress in reducing synthetic leather waste however; traditional leather and polyurethane (PU)-coated leather continues to increase waste.
Nike uses (PU)-coated leather (100% PU is considered vegan) on Air Force Ones, Nike Dunk Desrupt Day, Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Next Nature, and various iconic sneakers.
What Is Nike Flyleather?
Nike flyleather is an innovative leather-like material made with a minimum of 50% recycled leather fibres mixed with synthetic materials like recycled polyester, cotton, EVA, and rubber using a creative water-powered process.
Flyleather gives performance and durability benefits. It is scratch-resistant and 40% more lightweight than traditional full-grain leather.
Flyleather turns waste leather into environmentally friendly leather with a lower carbon footprint than traditional leather.
This innovative material is helping Nike reach the 10% target of reducing current leather usage to leather alternatives.
FAQs
What is Nike Flyknit?
Nike Flyknit woven material was first launched in 2012, it includes polyester and other high-strength waste fibres. Flyknit essentially turns shoes into one-piece upper and has since seen more than 100 million pairs of Flyknit shoes produced.
According 2019 Nike Report, “each shoe made with Flyknit upper contains on average six to seven recycled plastic bottles.” Flyknit is an important contributor to Nikes Footwear goal to reach 50% recycled polyester by 2025.
Does Nike produce a lot of waste?
Yes, 25% of Nike’s carbon footprint comes from polyester, EVA, rubber, leather and cotton raw material which are used to make footwear. The manufacturing (cut-and-sew) of Nike products creates more than 120 million kg of waste per year.
Is Nike animal cruelty-free?
Yes, all Nike traditional leather used to manufacture products is Leather Working Group Certified meaning it is sourced responsibly and sustainably from leather manufacturing supply chains without harming animals.
What does Nike Next Nature mean?
The Nike Next Nature (NN) branding at the end of shoe names, is manufactured from a minimum of 20% recycled sustainable materials by weight per pair. NIKES sustainability target for zero carbon and zero waste by 2025.
How much polyester does Nike use?
Recycled polyester makes up 38% of Nike’s total footwear polyester usage.
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