In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes Adam Brundage from Nike to discuss the company's wide-ranging sustainability efforts. Adam shares his unconventional path into sustainability beginning with a degree in meteorology and atmospheric science and how that led him to learning about life-cycle assessments, discovering greenhouse gas analysis, and pursuing a decade-long career at one of the world's most iconic brands.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Adam's background in meteorology and atmospheric science and how it shaped his passion for climate impact
• Life cycle assessment (LCA) as a foundational tool for understanding Nike's environmental footprint
• Nike's full value chain focus: raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, and packaging
• Packaging's role in Nike's overall carbon footprint (approximately 7%) and the Nike OneBox initiative
• The five major materials Nike focuses on: cotton, polyester, leather, foam, and rubber
• Recycled and organic material adoption: approximately 25% of Nike's current products contain at least one sustainable or recycled material
• Scaling renewable energy across Nike's global store and supplier network
• The evolution of Nike's shoe recycling program: from "Reuse a Shoe" (early 1990s) to the current "Recycle and Donate" model
• Nike's Refurbished program: cleaning and reselling lightly used returns to reduce waste
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and its growing relevance to the apparel and textile industry
• Textile-to-textile recycling technology: converting old polyester garments back into raw polyester for new products
• Bio-based and biomass-balanced materials as the future of sustainable packaging and apparel
• The challenge of translating complex climate data into actionable understanding for employees across all departments
• The tension between cost and doing the right thing, and finding opportunities where sustainability and savings align
• AI's promise and concern: its power consumption and the importance of powering data centers with renewable energy
• The influence Nike's sustainability efforts can have on the broader apparel, footwear, and consumer goods sectors

Resources Mentioned:

• Nike Recycle
• Nike Refurbished program
• Sway (seaweed-based bio material)
• Adam Brundage

Contact:

Listeners can connect with Adam Brundage via LinkedIn or explore Nike's sustainability initiatives at Nike.com by searching "sustainability" or "recycle." More information on the Recycle and Donate program is also available through Nike's sustainability web pages.

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