We've all been buying refurbished phones for a while, second-hand furniture too, and I'm sure many people have bought second-hand clothes and even sneakers. None of this is new. But lately, "refurbished" is becoming a buzzword, especially in today's increasingly eco-conscious society. While second-hand in fashion isn’t novel, the way people are embracing and owning it is.
Brands are facing growing scrutiny for their sustainability practices. For example, Burberry has been known to destroy returned clothes to keep them off the secondary market, protecting their new sales. On the flip side, Patagonia encourages reuse and repair. Now, Nike is getting in on the action—not with just a one-off range like their Space Hippies (an incredible project on its own), but with a full-scale refurbished sneakers program.
Nike Refurbished is part of Nike’s ongoing "Move to Zero" campaign, their mission toward zero carbon and zero waste to help protect the future of sport.
Over the past few years, Nike has made big strides in sustainable sourcing and manufacturing, using materials like sustainable cotton, recycled nylon, and plastics. Their Space Hippie shoes are a great example—Space Hippie's Flyknit yarn is made from 85-90% recycled content, including plastic bottles, t-shirts, and post-industrial scraps. They look great and mark a shift in the company’s ethos.
Nike Refurbished builds on this, aiming to extend the life of eligible products by taking like-new, gently worn, and slightly imperfect sneakers, refurbishing them by hand, and offering them at select Nike Factory, Nike Unite, and Nike Community stores. Similar to what we do at reboxed with phones, the shoes are graded based on their condition: “like new,” “gently worn,” or “cosmetically flawed.”
Nike’s branding has always been stellar, and their sustainability efforts are no exception. The striking greens and clean fonts give the campaign a technical yet utilitarian feel, which just works. It’s something I aimed for with our TechCheck® branding, even using the same cutting mat as a backdrop. I may have been a Nike designer in a past life!
Nike’s photography also stands out—using textures of recycled materials to visually communicate the refurbished concept. Their "Move to Zero" logo is bold, futuristic, and still manages to stay on trend, despite using Futura, a font they’ve relied on for decades.
By cutting the top and bottom of the typeface, they’ve given it new life, and the geometric logo, made of Nike ticks, is subtle but effective. The chevrons in the visuals symbolize the industrial process of waste being repurposed, tying into Nike’s broader sustainability message.
Agency Accept&Proceed have done a stellar job creating cohesion throughout the visual identity.
Nike says their refurbishment process uses tools to make shoes that are “like new” or “gently worn,” with an emphasis on returning the sneakers to as close to new condition as possible. However, the shoes must be returned within a 60-day window to qualify for refurbishment, which raises a few questions for me.
While the idea is great, I’d love to know more about the tools and processes used. Do they use specialized brushes or cleaning chemicals? The details are a bit vague, and it comes across like a quick clean-up before reselling. Also, the 60-day return window feels a bit restrictive—anything can happen to sneakers in 60 days. I think focusing more on the criteria for condition rather than a strict timeframe would make the program feel more robust. As it stands, I’m a little skeptical. Is Nike trying to limit waste or just claw back profits?
One positive aspect is that shoes that don’t make the cut for refurbishment are repurposed through their “Grind” program, which breaks down the product and reuses the materials for things like gym flooring.
The secondary market for sneakers is worth billions, and Nike is missing out on a chunk of that action. I don’t mind them reclaiming some profits, but it doesn’t need to be dressed up as solely a sustainability campaign.
That said, I do think the refurbished program makes sense—it’s good for the planet and good for consumers. I’d happily buy a pair of refurbished Nikes with minor defects to save some money. It’s crazy to think millions of shoes get discarded each year due to small imperfections.
Since working in the refurbished phone space, I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of refurbishing and recycling. I’m generally on board with Nike’s move toward sustainability. The refurbished revolution is here, and it’s exciting to see where it’ll go next.
