Nike's 'Trash Talk' Recycled Sneakers Named IDEA Best in Show

Nike walked—make that sprinted—away with Best in Show honors at the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition. Following in the footsteps of the iPhone (a 2008 IDEA Best in Show winner) is Nike Trash Talk, the first performance basketball shoe made from manufacturing waste. The upper is zig-zag-stitched bits of leather and synthetic leather waste from the factory floor, while the mid-sole uses scrap-ground foam from factory production, and the rubber outer sole incorporates material from footwear manufacturing waste.