Final Project Progress

Response from MooShoes:

(1) based on what criteria do you select brands that you carry (eg. materials, labor, location it was made)? Do all the brands you carry fit ALL the categories?

Our number one criteria for all our products in that they are 100% vegan. We are long time vegans and therefore finding shoes that do not contain any animal products is our first priority.

Since our shoes are vegan they are already more eco friendly than leather shoes. Tanneries are one of the most toxic industries. Our shoes are made from synthetic microfibers and we refrain from carrying any shoes that contain vinyl. Although vinyl does not contain any animal products it is not a very environmentally friendly alternative.

We are also very careful about the labor conditions that are our shoes are made under. Most of our shoes are made in union factories in Europe. There are exceptions to this but we are very careful to discuss labor conditions with everyone of our manufacturers.

(2) what is the best eco-friendly brand thus far, in your opinion and why?

Simple Shoes are one of our most eco friendly brands. They have a line of shoes called Green Toe. Every shoe in this line is 100% sustainable. I think another one of our more eco friendly brands in Veganwares in Australia. They are all custom made shoes which means that every shoe manufactured will be used by someone which means that they do not have any waste. Their shoes are resole able which means that they will last almost a lifetime. Another great brand is Splaff. They make all of their products from recycled inner tubes.

(3) what area of shoe-making needs to MOST improvement to become environmentally friendly?
The leather industry is extremely toxic as well as cruel. I think manufacturers should consider using more alternatives to leather.

Response from Nike:

Response (Aaron) - 11/07/2007 01:22 PM

Hello Anjali,

That is great that you chose Nike to do your school project on! We always are happy to hear from students who are interested in our company!

As you can imagine, Nike receives numerous requests for information about the Nike Corporation and Nike products in general. While, we recognize the value of academic pursuit of information by students we, unfortunately, are not able to answer questions directly or fulfill specific requests for hard copy material or sample products. In addition, as a general rule we are not able to accommodate requests for interviews of specific Nike personnel or our senior-level executives. Nor can they or Nike employees be present for student events.

We try to provide as much information as we can about the Nike Corporation on our website at www.nikebiz.com. The specific information you are looking for may be found under About Nike, News, Investors, Responsibility or the FAQ section under 'Customer Service'. The FAQ section will provide you with a list of some of the most commonly asked questions about Nike, Inc. Specific information about our perspectives on marketing and other information are proprietary and not available to the public.

While we are not able to fulfill your requests, we do appreciate you thinking of Nike and wish you much continued success.

Sincerely,

Aaron
Nike

Next Steps:

- Check out these links for Nike and the Environment:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/10/nike_environmen.php
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_39/b4002108.htm
http://makower.typepad.com/joel_makower/2005/03/nike_things_con.html
http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2005/03/nike-goes-environmental.html

- Chat about shoe brands and the environment with a group of teenage girls at the Lower East Side Girls’ Club. We’re hoping to gather some insightful and interesting opinions!