Clean Slate?
Everyone has heard of Nike.
Founded by Phil Knight in 1964, Nike is a multinational sportswear company with products sold in 110 countries, being the world’s largest marketer of athletic footwear and apparel. Through time, Nike has only grown in popularity-- especially to those of us at University of Oregon, also known as University of Nike.
So, Nike is big. And when you think of the company, what do you associate with it? You hear the word Nike, and generally good thoughts come to your head, right?
This is because Nike has done a really good job branding themselves. They know what they stand for, and they care about doing what they feel is right. Being such a huge brand, this is so important. As with any brand, there will always be controversy because not everyone agrees on what is right, but generally Nike has been ultimately successful in branding themselves to where their name sparks positive associations.
Nike does fantastic corporate social responsibility most of the time. But have they always done the right thing?
Of course not.
I remember sitting in my sixth-grade classroom watching a video about how “bad” of a company Nike used to be. Of course I was young and didn’t completely understand (or watch, lol) the entirety of the video. But through time I learned that there was some pretty bad stuff going on, for lack of a better word.
In 2001, Nike admitted to their mistakes.
Making products overseas is significantly cheaper, which is why Nike decided to make clothing, shoes, and footballs in Pakistan and Cambodia. However, where they failed was by not overseeing what was going on in those factories. It turned out that not only were these factories employing children as young as 10 years old, but also that the working conditions were awful and the kids were getting paid next to nothing. See the full story here: https://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1020-01.htm
To make a long story short, Nike really messed up. Sales were dropping tremendously, and they had a horrible reputation. So how did they clean up their mess?
1998: CEO Phil Knight delivered a speech claiming to implement more thorough monitoring of factories overseas.
1998: Adopted OSAA clean air standards in all factories.
1999: Creates Fair Labor Association.
2002-2004: 600 factory audits.
2005: Nike becomes first in its industry to publish a complete list of the factories it contracts with.
Clearly, Nike spent a lot of time trying to right their wrongs, and I’d say they did a pretty good job in consideration of the reputation they have today.
Today, Nike is extremely transparent about their values and make corporate social responsibility a priority. Check out the sustainability section of their website: https://sustainability.nike.com/
What’s important to you? What do you stand for?
Xo,
Sarah