“I Am Now a Role Model”:
Nike Commits to Corporate Social Responsibility
Russ Meyer, columnist at Fast Company, recently released news that Nike, Inc. has plans to distribute a multi-million dollar proprietary technology called the Environmental Design Tool among its competitors. For more, check out his article here.
Nike, Inc. is not a company known for its congeniality. For a time, the Swoosh notoriously leveraged underpaid and underage laborers to produce its vast quantities of overpriced sportswear. Furthermore, Nike resides in an industry that not only caters to competition, but also is embroiled with it at the corporate level. Competition is fierce for market share in the lucrative and ever-expanding universe of sports equipment, especially with powerful newcomers like Under Armour bursting onto the scene, not to mention the recent entry of Chinese giants like Li Ning into the U.S. marketplace. Considering all of these circumstances, why would Nike choose a time like now to begin sharing a proprietary technology that took seven years to develop with its rivals?
That’s correct: Nike has announced a plan to give away a $6 million technology it calls the Environmental Design Tool. Why? This cutting edge technology optimizes the production of synthetic fabrics from recycled plastic, providing a significant benefit to the environment. If all the world’s sportswear manufacturers use Nike’s tool to amp up recycling and cut down on waste, the result is a cleaner planet.
Nike’s newfound benevolence is another tremendous step in the growing trend of corporate social responsibility. The question is, if this competitive behemoth of an organization can alter its practices for good, why can’t yours? Corporate good: Just Do It!
- Pete Anderson
