April 15, 2008 - Nike has completed the first phase of an energy-efficiency project aimed at boosting energy efficiency among its footwear suppliers in Southeast Asia. The sports-apparel giant is working with four supplier factories in China and Vietnam to find out how much energy each factory consumes and identify the biggest opportunities to reduce or optimize energy use

The big takeaway so far? Complexities in equipment from facility to facility make a "one size fits all" approach all but impossible, according to Nike. For example, a single footwear factory can contain more than 15,500 motors, 10,000 lightbulbs, and 6,000 sewing machines.

This summer, Nike plans to unveil the energy-reduction goals for its supplier factory pilot program and release a blueprint for expanding the program to other key factories. [For more information on Nike's supplier factory pilot program, click here (PDF).]

Nike has made strides in recent months to green its product supply chain, particularly in the area of footwear manufacture. Since January, the company has introduced a greener version of its iconic Air Jordan basketball shoe and a "Trash Talk" shoe made largely from recycled-content materials.