Sneaker Peak: Nike Announces Plant-Based Dye Collection

The company gives us a glimpse of a pretty new palette that will debut this summer.

Dreamy muted tones may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about sustainable sneakers, but the palette of Nike's new Nike Plant Color Collection is hard to miss. In a world of increasingly loud athletic shoes, these hushed hues make a statement.

Nike Plant Color Collection

Part of the summer 2019 capsule, the Nike Plant Color Collection, "inspired by alternative ways to make color," according to the company, will use plant-based dyes. The Air Max 95 and Blazer Low will be the recipients of this loveliness. Unfortunately, that's all we know at the time.

I am left with questions, many many questions. I am eager to hear more about the sustainability factors here, but until we learn more, we will have to wait. In the meantime, though, we can hope that employing natural color will help ease the environmental load of the fashion industry's reliance on synthetic dyes. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally, leaving a wake of hazardous chemicals in the world's waters.

© NIKE

© NIKE

Other Sustainable Nike Relases

The summer's two other sustainable releases will be the Flyleather Earth Day Pack, combining Nike's recycled leather with artist Steven Harrington's "unique aesthetic to inspire the wearer with a love for the planet." As well as the VaporMax 2 Random, which will use excess Flyknit yarn that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill.

© NIKE

© NIKE

Corporate Sustainability Goals

In other Nike news, Noel Kinder, Nike’s new Chief Sustainability Officer, talks about the "importance of preserving our planet for Nike’s long-term growth." He notes that the company will soon begin sourcing 100 percent renewable energy in Europe. And through partnerships between Nike and Avangrid in North America, the company will reach 75 percent renewable energy globally.

"These partnerships catapult us ahead of the timeline that we outlined three years ago when we joined RE100," Kinder writes, "a coalition of businesses pledging to source 100 percent renewable energy across all operations."

The shoes will release throughout summer 2019 – price and dates to be determined. You can learn more at Nike.

While a sneaker addiction can be wasteful when the shoes are considered for status and quickly abandoned with each new season, there are still plenty of us not on the consumption train and looking for sustainably made shoes.