[pageLogInLogOut]

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Nike debuts the ISPA Link Axis, an exploration into circular design

ISPA Link Axis © 2023 Nike
Make the bold bolder. That’s the vibe of the new Nike ISPA Link Axis, Nike’s first exploration into creating a fully circular shoe, furthering its culture of innovation.

What to know

• Nike introduces the ISPA Link Axis, its first exploration into creating a fully circular shoe, furthering its culture of innovation.

• Every part of the Link Axis can be recycled. The design uses interlocking components, as few materials as possible and zero glue.

• The Link Axis helps move Nike closer to its circular vision — a closed-loop system that yields no waste — to help protect the planet and the future of sport.

• The shoe arrives in a Total Orange and Sonic Yellow colorway and is available September 12 on SNKRS.


Every part of the Link Axis can be recycled. The design uses interlocking components, as few materials as possible and zero glue. The Link Axis has a 100 percent recycled polyester Flyknit upper that’s precisely engineered to fit over the outsole (compared to the traditional cut-and-sew method used for the Nike ISPA Link), and its 100 percent recycled TPU tooling was achieved by using scrap airbag material. The shoe also has a 20 percent recycled TPU cage. Because recycling changes some material properties, the cage is an exercise in balancing the desire to use recycled content with the need for durability and traction.

These industry-pushing innovations are thanks to the Nike ISPA team. ISPA (Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, Adapt) is a Nike design philosophy that challenges creators to experiment, break molds and reimagine products. In the case of the Link Axis, it helps move Nike closer to its circular vision — a closed-loop system that yields no waste — to help protect the planet and the future of sport.

For more than 30 years, Nike teams have pursued design solutions in service of the athlete and the planet. They’ve unlocked new, lower-impact materials (see: Nike Grind, Nike Air) and created pinnacle performance footwear and iconic lifestyle silhouettes leveraging recycled content (see: Alphafly Next Nature, the Move to Zero collections). As the climate crisis has intensified for athletes around the world, Nike teams have shifted into a higher gear, embracing circular design principles as creative accelerants. Those include the 10 principles outlined in the Nike 2019 Circular Design Guide, an open-source workbook to share learnings and insights with the larger design community and anyone interested in how design can help lessen impact on the planet.




For the Link Axis, the ISPA team considered the circular design principle of “disassembly,” or the ability to easily take a product apart to recycle its components, one of the more challenging principles to implement in footwear design. A good shoe is flexible and durable. Traditionally, designers use glue and other bonding elements to achieve these aims, but that makes a shoe nearly impossible to disassemble and recycle. Recycling shoes usually requires shredding, an energy-intensive process that limits how the recycled materials can be used. Creating a shoe that can be taken apart would reduce the carbon footprint of the product and open up new possibilities for its life cycle.

The Link Axis is the new pinnacle for disassembly and embodies the circular design principles of material choice, waste avoidance and refurbishment.

The Link Axis arrives in a Total Orange and Sonic Yellow colorway — a nod to the first Link Axis prototype — and is available September 12 on SNKRS.

To learn more about how and why Nike created the ISPA Link Axis, check out "Why Nike Is Making Shoes You Can Take Apart."



More News from Nike

#Retail & Brands

Nike and NFL launch Rivalries program with new uniforms and fan gear inspired by communities

Nike and the National Football League are announcing Rivalries, a new and exciting uniform and fan gear program that will give athletes and fans an opportunity to connect like never before. The program will elevate NFL rivalry games over the next four seasons with specially designed Nike uniforms and fan gear. Rivalries will drive fan engagement by celebrating storied traditions and uniting communities with unique and elevated product designs.

#Retail & Brands

NIKE reports fiscal 2024 first quarter results

“Q1 offered proof of what NIKE can deliver when we connect great innovation, great storytelling and great marketplace experiences to consumers,” said John Donahoe, President & CEO, NIKE, Inc. “Moving forward, we are laser-focused on scaling these successes with greater consistency and speed as we continue to integrate and streamline our business. This is how we’ll extend our leadership position and drive growth over the long-term.”**

#Retail & Brands

Propulsion and protection: Nike unveils the LeBron XXI

The LeBron XXI is built for basketball’s next generation. LeBron didn’t need to look very far to find his muse for the shoe: his 8-year-old daughter, Zhuri. Inspired by the notion of protection for the modern player, the shoe’s upper is inspired by an oyster shell, protecting the pearl inside.

#Retail & Brands

The Nike AU Collection is made by Australia, for the World

Nike is launching the Nike AU Collection, the first Express Lane capsule collection inspired by Australia.

More News on Recycling / Circular Economy

Latest News

#Spinning

Rieter reports stable order backlog and strategic progress – outlook for 2025 adjusted

In its Investor Update 2025, Rieter announced an order intake of CHF 203.9 million in the third quarter and CHF 559.3 million after nine months, reflecting a continued cautious investment climate in the textile machinery sector. Sales totaled CHF 121.5 million in the third quarter and CHF 457.7 million for the first nine months of the year, while the order backlog stood at around CHF 590 million as of September 30, 2025.

#Associations

Winners of the ITMF Sustainability & Innovation Award 2025

The winners of the ITMF Sustainability & Innovation Awards 2025 will present their project at the upcoming ITMF & IAF Conference 2025 which will be held from 24 - 25 October in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and will be co-hosted by Indonesia Textile Industry Association (API).

#ITM 2026

The Address of innovation and investment in textile technologies: ITM 2026

Sales for ITM 2026, one of the world’s most comprehensive and prestigious exhibitions in textile technologies, are continuing at full steam. The record number of exhibitors and visitors achieved at ITM 2024 once again proved the industry’s confidence and the commercial success of the exhibition; meanwhile, the strong interest shown in ITM 2026, to be held on 9-13 June 2026, has far exceeded expectations.

#Knitting & Hosiery

STOLL in focus:

At the beginning of this year, KARL MAYER announced that it would be shifting its focus back to its core areas of warp knitting, warp preparation and technical textiles. As part of this strategic realignment, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand will be discontinued. The Reutlingen plant will close down on 31 October 2025. Production in China will end in December 2025. This was an extremely difficult decision for KARL MAYER.

TOP