When Nike introduced Flyknit in 2012, the lightweight, woven material was a game-changer in the sneaker business. It not only for made featherweight shoes, but brought sustainable manufacturing to the masses (the 100% recycled polyester fibers were partially made out of discarded plastic). The result were sneakers, from running spikes to basketball kicks, that looked good and were better for the planet. That same ethos is behind Nike's just-announced innovation called Flyleather.

In an effort to reduce the amount of leather waste during the sneaker manufacturing (which can be up to 30% of a cow's hide, according to Nike), the swoosh brand developed the new recycled material. Think of Flyleather as the Spam of leather. Basically, it's leather scraps formed into new leather that can be used in new shoes. Except leather scraps can't be melted down the same way as a discarded soda bottle, so the process of recycling it is well, complicated. According to Nike, here's what happens:

"...Nike gathers the discarded leather scrap from the floor of tanneries and turns them into fibers. Then, those recycled leather fibers are combined with synthetic fibers and a fabric infrastructure via a hydro process with a force that’s so strong it fuses everything into one material. The material then goes through a finishing process, which can include things like pigmentation, and is completed by being put on a roll to be cut."

If that sounds technical and confusing (which yes, it is), Nike was nice enough to also create a simple gif that shows off the process clearly:

Unwanted leather scraps from tanneries turn into a paste that is then turned back into a stretch of material from which new sneaker uppers can be cut. When all is said and done, it makes for shoes that, according to Nike, have half the carbon footprint of a typical pair. But it's not just that Flyleather is better for the planet—it's also 40 percent lighter and five times more durable than your average sneaker leather (based on abrasion testing, which sees essentially how much rubbing a fabric can withstand before tearing). In theory, that would mean Nike sneakers made with Flyleather should last longer and perform better that standard versions out today.

The first pair of Swoosh-adorned kicks to be made with Flyleather are the Nike Tennis Classic. They don't look much different than previous versions of the sneaker, but that's also kind of the point. Flyleather is a material that Nike hopes will change the game without them having to change their most popular silhouettes. And the Tennis Classic, which was first introduced in 1973, is the perfect candidate to fuse Nike's past and future into what's a sneaker guys will want to wear—whether or not they even know what they're wearing.

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