Sporting goods retailer Nike, has set out new labour and sustainability standards that would be used to rate their suppliers around the world as per the brands updated business and environmental goals. More precisely, it includes a new Sourcing & Manufacturing Sustainability Index (SMSI) that will assess the brands contract manufacturing units in areas like water use, energy consumption, carbon output and waste, health and safety, and labour management issues, with a promise of progressive movement toward the Fair Labor Association’s definition of a “fair wage”.
Other goals outlined by the brand include, zero discharge of hazardous chemicals for all products in its supply chain by 2020, cutting waste from manufacturing by 10% by 2015, as well as reducing shoebox weight, improving water efficiency by 15% per unit in dyeing and finishing apparel materials, and footwear manufacturing by 2015, cut CO2 emissions per unit by 20% compared with 2011 levels by 2015 and achieve a silver rating on the company’s Sustainability index by 2015, which aims to reduce a product’s environmental impact. All new Nike brand global apparel will be expected to achieve a bronze rating by the same time-frame.
