The size and scope of the Nike+ Human Race makes it the largest running event the company has ever hosted. With 25 race-day events, and hundreds of thousands of runners, Nike has teamed up with WWF to work on making the race more sustainable.  

“WWF has been working with Nike since it joined the Climate Savers Program in 2001, so we’re pleased that together we are taking another step forward by focusing on making the Nike+ Human Race more sustainable,” said Matt Banks of WWF’s Business & Industry Program. “We hope that the race greening program will serve as a model for future racing events.”

When preparing the race-event cities for the Nike+ Human Race, Nike’s Corporate Responsibility teams focused on five areas to help create a more sustainable global event:

  • Minimize the carbon footprint of transportation for each event.
  • Minimize waste and maximize the recycling and composting of waste generated at each event.
  • Minimize the impact of beverage delivery solutions (plastic bottles, cups, sachets, etc.).
  • Encourage the use of renewable energy as the primary power source for all race day activities.
  • Minimize event related printing and maximize use of environmentally friendly printing materials and processes.

In order to address these sustainability challenges, many cities have incorporated the use of public transportation into their event plans by setting up special schedules and transportation to the event, including connecting runners for carpooling.

Worldwide, the primary method of registration for the Nike+ Human Race was online which reduced the impact of printed registration brochures. For any necessary printing, whenever possible, paper with post-consumer recycled content and vegetable based inks was used.

To measure and document the impact of Nike’s sustainability planning, each city will likely produce a post-event report, detailing relevant facts and figures related to their efforts to minimize the environmental footprint of their Nike+ Human Race. Some cities have also teamed up with environmental organizations to provide post-race reporting. Paris, for example, has partnered with Climat Mundi, an organization that funds renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, to help calculate the carbon footprint of the entire event (transportation, concert, etc.).

Nike's premier global running event had a host of sustainable elements including recycling, greener transportation and waste management. The starting line of the race in Buenos Aires is pictured here. Buenos Aires was one of 25 cities world-wide to host the event.