Nike Design With Grind Challenge

Description

How might we create a waste-free, circular future by designing everyday products using Nike Grind materials?

THE OPPORTUNITY

• One Grand Prize winner will receive an award of $30,000
• Up to four winners will receive an award of $5,000 each

WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• The Nike Grind program seeks to push the boundaries of a circular, waste-free economy
• Nike is calling for proposals to do even more with Nike Grind materials

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW

• Final proposals are due: May 1, 2018

Background

We live in a time of relentless change and unlimited opportunity.

Nike believes the science is right, climate change is real, and we must take action now to power and protect the future of sport. This will require that the world radically redesign industrial systems and economies. It is not enough to adapt to what the future may bring, but that the future we want must be created through sustainable innovation.

The future demands a transition to a circular economy—a world in which materials can be used and reused at their highest potential. Nike is pushing the boundaries of the circular economy by transforming waste into value streams.

Nike Grind is a palette of premium recycled materials recovered from used footwear and manufacturing scrap. Since 1990, Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program has collected and recycled more than 30 million pairs of used shoes—including non-Nike footwear. And to date, Nike Grind materials have been incorporated into more than 1 billion square feet of sport surfaces, such as running tracks, athletic fields, gym floors, and playgrounds.

The Challenge

The goal of this Challenge is to identify promising new solutions for Nike Grind materials, so we can continue to create products that improve the lives of the people who use them, while reducing waste in the world around us.

One grand prize winner will receive $30,000, and up to four more top innovators will receive $5,000 grants for further development of their concept. All promising proposals will be considered for further partnership with Nike.

Individuals, teams of individuals, and legal entities are all welcome to participate. Some geographic restrictions apply.

The Materials

Below is a brief outline of the types of Nike Grind materials available through this Challenge. Participants are asked to submit ideas for the design of products using any of these materials. For more details on the materials, see the full Nike Grind Materials List here.

Nike Grind materials generally fall into two categories: single materials and composite materials.

Single materials are material streams comprised of one material type. Single materials available include:

• Rubber
• EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) foam
• Full grain leather

Composite materials are material streams comprised of two or more different material types. Composite materials available include:

• Laminated EVA foam
• Laminated polyurethane foam
• Mixed apparel textiles
• Mixed footwear textiles
• Footwear fiber “fluff”
• Coated leather and synthetic leather

Material Design Kits:

To support the development of prototypes, teams that advance to the Refinement Phase will be eligible to receive material kits with physical samples and greater detail on the material properties.