On April 14, 2022 Nike announced the One Box project. In the past months Nike has looked at how they can make the packing and shipping of sneakers more sustainable. With the One Box the sneakers will no longer be double-boxed. Rich Hastings explains the motivation behind the project.
Nike's One Box
Nike has a new chapter in their Move To Zero campaign: the One Box. The One Box combines the shoe box and the packaging used to ship the sneaker in one design. In this way, Nike wants to reduce cardboard waste. According to Rich Hastings, the brain behind the One Box, this is a step in the right direction.
"Packaging is sometimes an afterthought," says Rich Hastings. "But what people may not realise is that it can have a huge impact on the environment." Currently, the sneakers you order from Nike are sent double-boxed. With the One Box, this is no longer necessary and the box functions as a shoe box and shipping box.
Rich and his team worked on the Nike Space Hippie in 2020, a sneaker made from between 25 and 50 percent recycled materials. Despite being designed as a limited release, the pair caught on with the general public. The Space Hippie showed what sustainability could do at Nike and the One Box was the next step.
Sustainability at Nike
“Space Hippie was the jumping off point,” Erica Swanson of sustainable product operations at Nike explains. “We wanted to have an innovative system that shipped a shoe in its own container, rather than shipping a box within another box.”
Nike is busy improving sustainability in the sneaker scene these days. With their Move To Zero campaign, the brand designs sustainable sneakers. Nike strives for a CO2-neutral and waste-free production process. The One Box is the next step in the right direction.
Rich and the team tested the One Box extensively. To ensure the box arrived in one piece, "crush tests" were done. Based on these tests, the box was then improved and reinforced where necessary. This in order to create the most solid One Box.
Less is More
Compared to previous Nike packaging, One Box offers a 51 percent reduction in waste for individual online orders, regardless of the shoe inside. The design of the One Box has also been well thought out.
The box has a minimalist look to minimise the use of materials. The One Box only uses white ink, to prevent the ink from ending up on the sneakers. The box also has a second adhesive strip to make it easier to return them.
For now, the current Nike shoe boxes have not disappeared. Rich's team is realistic but also optimistic about the One Box: "Even though it’s large, we’re still in pilot mode,” says Erica. “There’s opportunity for One Box to evolve over time – how it looks, what it’s used for and how many boxes we can save.” We will keep you postet in our sneaker news.