Nike launches sustainable trainer collection using vegan pineapple leather

Nike has launched a new sustainable Happy Pineapple trainer collection in collaboration with the vegan pineapple leather brand Piñatex.

The Happy Pineapple shoe range features five colourful sneakers with classic Nike designs including Air Max 90, the Air Max 95, and the Air-Zoom Type.

Moreover, the leather components on the trainers feature the latest plant-based leather alternative from Pinatex made by London-based brand Ananas Anam.

Piñatex ‘leather’ is made using pineapple leaves and promises to have 95% renewable resources and enhanced material performance. The brand claims to be the most sustainable plant-based leather alternative on the market today.

Nike is one of the first brands to use the just-launched new-generation Piñatex material.

Happy Pineapple Collection

Nike’s Happy Pineapple Collection launched globally on the 17th of June 2021 and is the latest collection to join the vegan footwear movement.

The collection comprises five sneaker editions across four classic Nike designs; the Free Run Trail Premium, the Air Max 90, the Air Max 95, and the Air-Zoom Type.

Importantly, these classic Nike designs are some of the best-selling trainers in the world. Consumers having the option to choose between real leather or sustainable alternative leather is a huge step for the plant-based movement, and ultimately the environment.

Furthermore, each of these shoes features juicy pastel hues and are adorned with an embroidered pineapple on the tongue, making them the ultimate vegan summer shoe!

Piñatex pineapple leather

Piñatex founder Dr. Carmen Hijosa is shaking up the leather industry with her innovative and ethical plant-based alternative to leather.

The Founder and Chief Creative and Innovation Officer of Ananas Anam Ltd developed the sustainable leather from pineapple leaf fibres.

Carmen previously worked as a leather goods consultant. The idea was Piñatex was first developed back in the 1990s where Hijosa witnessed the catastrophic impact leather production had on the environment and its workers.

Inspired by the abundance of natural resources, including the use of plant fibres in traditional weaving such as the delicate Barong Tagalog garments, Carmen sought to create a new, non-woven textile that could be commercially produced, provide positive social and economic impact and maintain a low environmental footprint throughout its life cycle.

By using the waste of pineapple harvesting, the brand prevented 825 tons of leaves from being burnt, and therefore saved 264 CO2 eq tons being released into the atmosphere.

This is equivalent to carbon released from charging 33 million smartphones.

Want to know more about vegan leather? Find out what the best vegan leather alternatives are here.