Originally Posted by Cameron Nelson
If you've got a link, or the actual article about it "affecting the ozone layer", then post it or PM it to me...I'll check it out. Hell, I'll give anything a review at least once. I tried to google it, and found absolutely nothing. I asked NIKE employees and "EKINs" why it happened when I worked for Foot Locker...one couldnt answer, and the other mentioned about the whole ozone-friendly thing, but had no information to support it.
DunkeyKong
already postedthe relevant links at the very beginning of this thread, but apparently you haven't read them. Fine. Since you're a moderator, I'll take theextra time to make sure you see the light, because you--if anyone--should know the real story. If you (mistakenly) think it's not an environmental issueand say so, others on NT are more likely to (mistakenly) believe you. Sorry if I sound frustrated and bitter here, but I'm getting tired of having torepeat it... maybe as much as some people are getting tired of hearing me say it.
Start by reading the
Business Week articlefrom 2006. Then--if you can handle reading my long message--read
my more detailed post from earlier this year.
And if you don't have time for those, here's a super brief summary:
- the original Airsole technology was based on the idea of using a gas with very large molecules (sulfur hexafluoride, or "SF6") which wouldn'tleak out during ordinary use
- in 1992, Nike discovered that SF6 was a potent "greenhouse gas"... if released into the atmosphere, it doesn't affect the ozone layer, but hasa similar effect of trapping heat inside the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. As the Business Week article says: "At the peak of SF6production in 1997, Nike Air footwear carried a greenhouse effect equivalent to an astonishing 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide --
about as muchas the tailpipes of 1 million cars."
- it took a huge team of Nike's scientists and engineers 14 years to finally find ways to make Airsoles without having to use SF6. This was largely amaterials challenge... even though today's Max airsoles look like a single clear layer of plastic, it's actually 65 different layers of materialssandwiched together. You'll have to read my post above for more detailed info.
- besides the new material, new manufacturing methods were needed as well. Despite
several years of trying, the original "blow-molding"machinery could not, NOT,
NOT be made to work with the multilayer materials. A different, "thermoforming" technique
does work, and this is how all Max-style Airsoles have been made for the past several years.
So let me be abundantly clear on a couple of points:
- Nike's Airsole changes
absolutely have been made for environmental reasons. Not to be cheaper or easier (they aren't), and not topiss off sneakerheads like you and me.
- it's not a question of "man, if they just tried harder, they could do it." As I said, teams of Ph.Ds spent over a decade, and millions ofdollars, getting the SF6 problem fixed. I know because I was there, and part of it. And what ended up working was a different way of manufacturing. Think ofit this way... imagine you were an expert carpenter, and your only tool was a circular saw. You could probably figure out how to build a pretty goodbookshelf. Now imagine your only tool was a power drill... you could still probably figure out a way to fudge together a similar bookshelf, but it would be alot harder job, and not end up looking quite the same... making bookshelves is not the best job for a drill. Drills are great at making other things, though,and there are some really cool things you can make with a drill that you could never do with a circular saw.
I don't know if this is a perfect analogy or not, but hopefully you see where I'm going here. Trying to "remake" the original style airbagsusing a totally different method of manufacturing means the shapes
can't match
exactly. Honestly--99% of the world doesn't noticethe difference, but sneakerheads like us do. As you've said, the thermoformed Max airbags are often worse than the original in one respect (less of theairbag can be safely exposed) but are better in others (there's no big ugly visible seam down the middle any more, they seem to be lasting longer, and theyno longer contain SF6 that can F up the planet.) And think of it this way... the Max 360 was really the very first Airsole designed new, from-the-ground-upfor the thermoforming process. Now, you may say that wasn't such a great shoe (I won't argue) but you've got to admit that you can't get anybigger or more visible than that... and that's something that never could have been tried with the original blow-molding technology. And remember that ittook years even before Air Max products got bigger, multiple pressures, wilder shapes, etc... thermoforming will probably take some time as well. The photos(which I saw on NT for the first time) of the new cageless 360 look pretty f'in cool, I think, and bigger than any old-school full-length air.
Now, while the idea of marching to Nike Headquarters to demand that they "bring back the old Airsoles" might sound tempting or noble... it would, inall likelihood, get you absolutely nowhere. Not because Nike doesn't care, but for two reasons:
1) they would never knowingly take a huge environmental step backwards this way--but if you're too cynical to believe me on this, know that:
2) many countries/regions (like Europe, for example) no longer allow products containing greenhouse gases like SF6 to be imported and sold... there is
no way that Nike would waste time and effort designing and building shoes that would then be
illegal to sell in large areas of theworld!
Finally, as I said in my first post on this subject:
- Yes, if you can't read between the lines,
obviously I've been closely involved in this whole effort. For seven of my ten years at Nike, asa matter of fact.
- I'm speaking for
myself, not as any sort of official spokesperson.
- I post about it because I care about it, and worked my #%% off about it.
- I love my job.
Love my job. The thought of ever
losing my dream job makes me physically ill. Having said that, anyone involvedwith Nike footwear creation could probably figure out who I am in about five minutes, for those who didn't know already. And if I was out here spreadingsecrets or misinformation, well, that would probably get me canned. So I would never,
ever stick my neck out on NT with anything other thansolid truth. Or spilling secrets on future stuff, so don't even try.
