Nike makes unhelpful claims about bonded leather ‘super material’
19/09/2017
While it is widely acknowledged that bonded leather (shredded leather pieces bonded together) is inferior to real leather in terms of quality and strength, Nike touts its benefits and even calls it a new “super material”.
The company is using discarded leather scrap from the floor of tanneries, and combining them with synthetic fibres and fabric. The material then goes through a finishing process, and is put on a roll to be cut.
It claims that Flyleather looks and feels like premium leather. “Nike Flyleather completely mimics athletic, pigmented full-grain leathers in everything from fit to touch,” says Tony Bignell, Nike’s vice-president of footwear innovation. "Unlike with traditional leathers, Flyleather can be produced with a consistent grade across a broader range of product."
Nike has also claimed:
• Creating it uses 90% less water and has an 80% lower carbon footprint than traditional leather manufacturing
• A pair of Nike Flyleather shoes has half the carbon footprint of shoes made with traditional leather
• Because Nike Flyleather is produced on a roll, it improves cutting efficiency and creates less waste than traditional cut-and-sew methods for full-grain leather
• Nike Flyleather is 40% lighter and five times stronger than traditional leather (based on abrasion testing).
Chief sustainability officer Hannah Jones added: “Nike believes in science, and that climate change is real. That’s why Flyleather is a game-changer. As we witness the impact of climate change, the world is getting after a low-carbon economy, and Nike is innovating it.”
However, it is unclear how much of cows’ carbon footprint Nike is attributing to the leather. Although still being debated, the meat and leather industries put the figure at around 7%. The leather industry turns a byproduct from the meat industry into a usable material – it would otherwise go into landfill.
World Leather magazine and leatherbiz.com have campaigned to educate consumers and journalists about the value of leather through the Nothing to Hide initiative. It is a free series of essays that explain different aspects of the science, technology and ecology that underpin the modern leather industry. All contributors are respected authorities in industry and academia.
Image: Nike Flyleather Tennis Classic
Share this story:
