Nike has made some of the most aggressive promises of any corporation when it comes to reducing its carbon footprint. "It's about leading with actions, not words," is how executive chairperson Mark Parker put it in 2019. "We are more committed than ever to help save the planet," said CEO John Donahoe in 2022. The problem is that an investigation by ProPublica and the Oregonian points out a big discrepancy between the aforementioned words and actions: Use of the company's two private jets—"which emit far more carbon per passenger than commercial airliners"—is on the rise, resulting in a nearly 20% increase in carbon dioxide emitted last year compared to 2015, according to the story.
It appears that one major factor is Donahue's travel between the company's headquarters in Oregon and a home he owns in the Bay Area of California. Nike's Gulfstream jets make frequent trips to the region—more than 100 in his first 3.5 years on the job—sometimes landing for less than a half-hour before making a return trip to Oregon. It suggests Donahue was being picked up and flown back to HQ, though Nike did not make him or Parker available for interviews. Other flights were to Cape Cod, where he owns another home, or related to personal trips for which he reimburses the company.
"In the current climate where aviation does not yet have a viable route to fully decarbonize, we need to see these types of flights come to a halt," says Phillip Ansell, director of the Center for Sustainable Aviation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The article highlights the broader trend of increased private jet use among corporate execs and celebrities including Taylor Swift, despite the environmental impact. In fairness to Nike, the story notes that the company's disclosures on jet emissions are more transparent than those of its peers. Read the full story. (Or read other longform recaps.)
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