The Sustainability-Focused Nike Vapormax 2020 Flyknit Is At Least 50% Trash

Halted thanks heavily in part to COVID-19, Nike’s plans for this Summer were brewing to be one of their most expansive yet. And while their performance staples won’t have the stage of the Tokyo Olympics to debut, they’ll at least have the company of the brand’s most sustainable shoe to date: the Air VaporMax 2020. Composed of 50% recycled content by weight, the offering refines the “circular design” principles to its current peak. From tooling to upper, every element is heavily considered in way an extension of the Space Hippie ethos.

The VaporMax Air unit itself is 75% recycled in material, but despite a thinner, tapered implementation from heel to toe, the brand considers the low profile sole to be an improvement in both comfort and ride. Moreover, the upper effectively matches up alongside, making use of plastic bottle waste and the like for a still impressive 67% recycled construction whose yarns hue to a vast spectrum of patterns and vibrant colors. Tongues feature 80% recycled foam, Ortholite sockliners amplify comfort despite being 50% recycled, and the TPU at the heel and toe mark with an eclectic swirled effect that borrows from scraps by 60%.

What’s more, the tread features the patented Grind materials whose marbling are a result of various factory byproduct. Woven seamlessly into the rest of the pair, this new innovation tops off Nike’s idea of “Rawthenticity,” a concept Jarrod Hale, Nike NSW Senior Project Line Manager, defines as the “being perfectly-imperfect.” What’s more, this concept is delivered through even the lace unit as wearers of all capabilities will have access to the shoe thanks to the easy-on and easy-off FlyEase system.

Grab a detailed look at a few of the upcoming colors here and expect a release to arrive at Nike.com later this month on July 23rd.