Nike listed in Fortune's top 10 'Change The World' 2016 ranking

Sportings good giant Nike, together with apparel manufacturer Crystal Group, have made it onto Fortune's magazine 'Change The World' 2016 ranking. They are the only two apparel-related brands to make it into the top fifty listing because of their sustainability efforts, with Nike securing a spot in the top 10.

Fortune's annual ranking seeks to highlight the top fifty across the world which are working to ensure they have "a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy." They look at several aspects, such as each company's impact on the environment and societal issues, the economic benefit the positive socially impactful initiative may bring to company and how innovative the company effort is.

Nike came in 6th place for its ongoing sustainability efforts, which can be traced back to 1990 when the US sportswear brand launches its first recycled shoe program. At the moment, 71 percent of Nike's footwear and apparel products use 'Nike Grind,' which is made from recycled polyester and other materials. It has also been incorporated in over 1 billion square feet of sporting surfaces, such as running tracks, playground and football fields, replacing materials such as virgin rubber.

In addition, Nike developers have been able to reduce production waste by nearly 60 percent for every Flyknit shoe made in comparison to the materials used making traditional shoes, saving close to 2 million pounds of fabric-scrap waste since 2012. The sportswear giant has set itself new targets for 2020 which include the sourcing of cotton 100 percent more sustainably and reducing landfill waste.

The Crystal Group came in at number 17 on the ranking, thanks to its sustainable practices it began implementing in 2007. The Hong-Kong based company has worked hard to reduce its carbon emissions and energy usage across all of its manufacturing facilities, while working to empower its female employees through targeted training. "We want to raise the standard for the whole industry," said Catherine Chiu, the company’s general manager of corporate quality and sustainability in a statement.