Nike, Inc., Beaverton, Oregon, USA

Nike, Inc. is the world's leading manufacturer of athletic shoes, apparel and equipment, and directly employs 30,000 people around the world, 6,000 of whom work at Nike World Headquarters near Beaverton, Oregon. As of 2006, Nike products were manufactured by nearly 800,000 workers in 700 contract factories located in 52 different countries.

In 1998, The Natural Step began to work with Nike to help it apply the principles of sustainability to its business operations, and the company formalized its commitment to sustainable commerce with an official policy statement later that year. Hundreds of Nike employees were trained to use The Natural Step Framework between 1998 and 2001, leading to numerous innovative programs to further its sustainability goals. In 2008, Nike partnered with The Natural Step again to help assess and further develop its approach to product innovation by defining a long-term vision for sustainable products. The resulting North Star vision and innovation goals position Nike to become a leader in sustainable product innovation and navigate toward a sustainable future.

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