Nike 1

Nike is the market leader manufacturer of sport shoes clothes and accessories. Nike creates benchmark and trends which forces Reebok, Adidas-Salomon AG and Fila USA to follow these market trends despite their will. Strong positions of Nike are also supported with its link to the athletic world’s most recognizable faces (e.g. Michael Jordan - Air Jordan sneakers; Emmit Smith and tennis star Venus Williams - Reebok sneakers).

For the time of its existence, Nike created perfect combination of strong brand, R&D and synchronized strategic management which led company to surprising success.

Even though Nike never stops developing new products, innovations in competitive market are difficult to defend for a long time. Nike’s introduced “Air” technology for Air cushioned athletic shoes in August 1996. The Company has an exclusive, worldwide license to make and sell footwear using patented "Air" technology. The process utilizes pressurized gas encapsulated in polyurethane. However part of Nike patent expired in 1997, enabling competitors to use certain types of “Air” technology.

Reebok, a short time later in early 1997 introduced its own air cushioning technology called DMX. According to its website at Reebok.com; “DMX provides superb cushioning through a unique moving air system.” Besides, in 1997 Reebok launched big marketing campaign based on its new endorsement of the NBA's #1 draft pick, Allen Iverson who was new face of DMX cushioned shoes. Not to be outdone, Fila introduced its own 2A air cushioned technology called ‘Fila 2A’. This fact proves once more that Nike is a trend setter but even has to continue the process of interminable innovation to avoid losing leader position.

As Nike describes on its web site: recognizing the decline of natural resources and the need to move to a low-carbon economy, the tool is a practical way to rate how apparel designs score in reducing waste and increasing the use of environmentally preferred materials while allowing the designers to make real time adjustments.

“This tool is about making it simple for designers to make the most sustainable choices right at the start of the product creation process. Over the past four years it has proved to be invaluable at Nike and has helped us create products with a higher sustainability standard,” said Hannah Jones, Vice President of Nike Sustainable Business and Innovation.

“By releasing the tool we want others to improve on it and we hope to inspire further collaboration to create global industry standards for a level playing field, encourage widespread industry adoption of sustainable design practices and have more sustainable products available for the consumer.”