Nike embraces the circular revolution with the new ISPA Link Axis

"Why Nike Is Making Shoes You Can Take Apart": this is how Nike introduces ISPA (Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, and Adapt), the team dedicated to the research and development of circular design and a culture of innovation. Following a philosophy that sees recycling, circularity, and, consequently, waste reduction as the new fundamental principles of design, the ISPA team is launching on the market the first result of its experiments, Link Axis, Nike's signature fully circular shoe.



The entire design process of Link Axis focused on the principle of disassembling as the main feature of the final product, revolutionizing the common way of making shoes. Traditionally, in fact, shoe assembly involves the use of glue and other binders to make flexible and durable products. However, it is precisely these binders that make the materials that compose the shoes almost impossible to recycle, resulting in a product whose life cycle ends the very moment the shoe is no longer used.



Link Axis aims precisely to solve this problem by introducing to the market a shoe whose design uses interlocking components, therefore easily disassembled. Without sacrificing the quality and durability of the shoe, Link Axis allows for zero use of binders, using as few materials as possible and reducing the carbon footprint of the final product. ISPA Link Axis, moreover, was made using reclaimed materials, including waste material obtained from airbags and recycled polyester and TPU.



Nike's ISPA team follows a design philosophy that aims to challenge the world's creatives to experiment by breaking patterns and processes of design and production that are no longer sustainable, accelerating, though, circular innovation.