Evaluating Environmental and Ethical Performance in Sports Footwear

Abstract

Customers and stakeholders increasingly expect companies to be transparent about their ethical and environmental practices, as sustainability becomes a more significant issue in the fashion and sportswear sectors. This research uses a comparative analysis based on secondary data to assess the ethical and environmental performance of several international sports footwear brands. A structured evaluation is used to assess brands such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, Allbirds, Veja, and ASCIS. Some of the covered topics are labor practices, supply chain transparency, carbon emissions, the use of sustainable materials, and circular economy activities. Every business receives a score on a uniform scale, determined by third-party indexes, ESG databases, and publicly accessible sustainability reports and data. The results aim to shed light on potential greenwashing, highlight best practices, and provide readers with a clearer understanding of the current sustainability of the sports footwear industry. This research promotes more responsible and successful sustainable business practices in the athletic footwear market by providing insightful information to scholars, customers, and business executives.