Make the daring even more daring — that is the motto of the new Nike ISPA Link Axis, Nike's first attempt to develop a completely recyclable shoe and thus promote the company's culture of innovation.

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Every part of Link Axis can be recycled. The design uses interlocking components, as few materials as possible, and no glue.

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The Link Axis upper is made from 100% recycled polyester flyknit, which is tailored precisely to the outsole — as opposed to the traditional cutting and sewing method used for the Nike ISPA Link.

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The 100% recycled TPU tooling is made from airbag material. The shoe also has a 20 percent recycled TPU cage. Because recycling changes some material properties, the cage is a balance between the desire to use recycled content and the need for durability and traction.

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These breakthrough innovations come from the Nike iSPA team. ISPA (Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, Adapt) is a Nike design philosophy that challenges developers to experiment, break familiar processes and reinvent products.

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With Link Axis, Nike is moving closer to its vision for circular design — a closed loop system that creates no waste — to protect the planet and the future of sport. As the climate crisis has worsened for athletes around the world, Nike teams have stepped up gear and used circular design principles as “creative accelerators.”

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This includes the 10 principles outlined in the Nike 2019 Circular Design Guide, an open-source workbook that allows the design community and anyone interested in how design can help reduce the impact on the planet, to share experiences and insights.

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For the Link Axis, the ISPA team considered the principle of circular design, i.e. the ability to easily disassemble a product in order to recycle its components. Implementing this principle in shoe design is one of the biggest challenges.

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A good shoe is flexible and durable. Traditionally, designers use adhesives and other fasteners to achieve these goals, but that makes it almost impossible to disassemble and recycle a shoe.

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Recycling shoes usually requires shredding, an energy-intensive process that limits the uses of the recycled materials. Developing a dismountable shoe would reduce the product's carbon footprint and open up new opportunities for its life cycle.

The Link Axis embodies the principles of circular design: material selection, waste prevention and reprocessing.

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The Nike Link Axis “Total Orange” is now available at selected retailers. Keep an eye on our Sneaker release calendar.

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Photos via Nike