Worn-out sneakers reused for zero-carbon courts

Students playing basketball on the green court. (Photo by Xinhua)

A brand new basketball court was completed at the fourth elementary school in Xinxiang city, central China’s Henan province in September. This court is very special because it is environmentally friendly.

The new playground, including the basketball court, covers nearly 8,000 square meters, and its materials used were from recycled sneakers. With the Nike Grind technology, the old sneakers are turned into reusable rubber particles. The playground is thus one with zero carbon emission.

To date, Nike has already built 15 green courts in China. The technology has been adopted for 30 years, recycling sneakers that could have otherwise been dumped in the landfill.

With the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" policy in place and the "green China" concept known by more, Nike plans to build another 100 eco-friendly stadiums in China by 2030.

Nike and Ant Group launched the "green-energy action" on Sept. 19, and with the "move to zero" mini program in Alipay, they’re encouraging consumers to join in the recycle project for environmental protection.

Source: Xinhua; Trans-editing by Wang Yunya