Diego Rodriguez — instructor at Stanford’s d.school — has a blog called metacool that’s the product of an engineering + MBA educated brain, definitely worth a look.
For example, he discusses Nike’s Considered line of shoes:
Considered shoes generate 63% less waste in manufacturing than a typical Nike design. The use of solvents has been cut by 80%. And a stunning 37% less energy is required to create a pair of shoes. Is Considered a perfect example of green design? No, but when was the last time anyone did anything to perfection? I’m just happy to see a big, public company like Nike — with everything to lose, and not so much to gain — take a leadership role in trying to forge a new market space for environmentally friendly, socially relevant products. This is a wonderful first step.
I think green products will soon hit a tipping point, making Nike’s gamble pay off big. More on this in a future post.