Image credit: Nike

Nike

Rated: It's a start

price:
$$$$

location: United States

Nike has good policies to monitor suppliers but is not taking adequate steps to ensure payment of a living wage for its workers.

Nike sustainability rating

Planet

4 out of 5

People

4 out of 5

Animals

2 out of 5

Overall rating: It's a start

Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (We avoid) to 5 (Great) How we rate


Our “Planet” rating evaluates brands based on the environmental policies in their supply chains, from carbon emissions and wastewater to business models and product circularity. Here we rate Nike “Good”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • It uses some lower-impact materials including recycled materials.
  • It has set a target to eliminate most hazardous chemicals by 2025 and it is on track to meet its target.
  • There’s no evidence it’s taking actions to protect biodiversity in its supply chain.
  • It’s set a science based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain but there’s no evidence it is on track.

Workers’ rights are central to our “People” rating, which assess brands’ policies and practices on everything from child labour to living wages and gender equality. Here we rate Nike “Good”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • Its social auditing program is certified by Fair Labor Association (FLA).
  • It received a score of 51-60% in the 2022 Fashion Transparency Index.
  • It has a basic policy to support diversity and inclusion in its supply chain.
  • It claims to have a program to improve wages but there’s no evidence it ensures its workers are paid living wages in most of its supply chain.
  • During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it disclosed some policies to protect workers in its supply chain from the virus.

Brands’ animal welfare policies and, where applicable, how well they trace their animal-derived products are the focus of our “Animals” rating. Here we rate Nike “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • It has a basic policy covering animal welfare but no clear implementation mechanisms in place.
  • It appears to use wool, down, exotic animal skin, shearling, exotic animal hair, and silk.
  • It uses some recycled leather in its leather products.
  • It doesn’t appear to use fur, or angora.
  • There’s no evidence it traces any animal-derived materials to the first production stage.

Based on all publicly available information we’ve reviewed, we rate Nike “It’s a Start” overall.

Last updated May 2023