Nike is making public eight years of research into the environmental sustainability of the materials it uses. The company has teamed with software startup Earthsterto publish its Materials Sustainability Index (MSI).
Earthster is currently in beta testing, and the MSI is only available to members of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. However, the full launch of Earthster is scheduled for December 2011, and Nike intends to release the MSI publicly in 2012.
Earthster is software that enables organizations to view and analyze their sustainability metrics on the individual product level up to a global impact in regards to climate change, ecosystem quality, resource usage and human health. Earthster will be available as a cloud-based subscription service and a downloadable open source project.
Nike and Earthster say they hope releasing the analytical framework and data will jumpstart a conversation on sustainable materials within the footwear and apparel industry.
Source: Sustainable Life Media
By Bart King