Nike drops Pinatex collection: here are YOUR thoughts on it

On 13th June 2021, Piñatex® announced : “We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with Nike on their Happy Pineapple collection […] There are 5 #MadeFromPiñatex Nike trainers models that will be coming out in several colourways.”

First thing: what is Piñatex®? 

Piñatex® is a new innovative vegan leather alternative made entirely from pineapples! The material is created with low water usage and low production waste, and contains no harmful chemicals. 

Basically, it is made from the discarded pineapple leaves from the agriculture industry, repurposing some of the 13 million tonnes of waste the global industry contributes every year.

The company behind the material is also a certified B Corp, supporting rural farming communities, in a certified eco-friendly way.

53% of you says it’s cool and 47% say it’s just greenwashing

We sent out a poll to see where your heads are at with the news of Nike and Piñatex® upcoming collaboration launch. We asked: do you think this is cool or is this greenwashing? As expected, we are excited but doubtful- as the poll is torn nearly 50/50. So far, Renoon doesn’t know much about the technical details of these products, but we know what to look for when this is launched.

Why all of us are right in a way

It is natural to be skeptical of big industry giants such as Nike, because brands like them have used their power in the past in poor ways, contributing to waste culture and taking questionable social actions. A lot of these companies more recently are associating themselves with new social trends such as the Green Movement or Black Lives Matter Movement. 

Sometimes these blank statements do not correlate with real action so it can be hard to navigate whether or not they are greenwashing or not. 

It is important to recognize, however, that since these brands are leaders in the market, they have the power to make real change and have a big impact on the world. For example, with materials like Piñatex®, having Nike adopt them would mean scale, helping to popularize the vegan leather industry, and allowing for further innovation to happen. Plus, Nike is an iconic brand with a cult following, which is why so many of us are so excited for the launch!

To say it in a different way: on one side these giant companies have a past in doing business in a moment in history when business and consumer values were not the same. However, we cannot just excuse them for being big and in a position where change has a larger impact. 

These are the questions we can all ask ourselves

As we are writing this, the product technicalities about Nike x Piñatex® haven’t yet been fully made available. Once they launch, here is what we can all ask ourselves at the product level: Where is this product made – are the factories safe for the environment and people? What is its composition- what are the other parts made of and how much of it is actually Piñatex®? What is its lifecycle – is it completely biodegradable? 

What’s on your mind? If you still haven’t taken part in our poll, make your voice heard here.

Also let’s not forget that if Nike launches 5 eco-friendly products, it doesn’t mean we can then buy everything Nike does, just because they are starting to do something. This is the pure problem of greenwashing.

Sneaker culture?

More than just thinking about this as a collection, let’s not just forget the elephant in the room: overconsumption in the sneaker industry. Some time ago we also had an IG live about this topic with Maartje van den Hurk who is a consumer and lifestyle researcher at This Memento but also podcast host at Sneaker Jagger.

We were questioning the whole sneaker culture and how cool new drops encourage us to keep consuming, instead of reusing what is in your closet. You can re-play it here.