Inclusivity
At NIKE, Inc., we work to promote inclusive workplaces, including in facilities where our products are made.
Research shows that employees who see their workplaces as fair and inclusive are at least twice as likely to feel motivated to do their best work, which strengthens employee morale leading to stronger retention, higher productivity and greater innovation.* However, gender representation gaps still exist in industry, including footwear and apparel manufacturing. Over 70 percent of the workforce of strategic suppliers** are women. However, when we look at leadership roles, there are consistent representation gaps for women across roles and levels. For over a decade, NIKE, Inc. has worked with strategic suppliers to support development and advancement of women in workplace environments that help close those gaps. In FY25, 99 percent of strategic suppliers met our requirements for building a more gender-inclusive workplace.
Looking ahead, NIKE, Inc. intends to continue assessing the strength of our supply chain through a gender lens, supporting workplaces where all workers can thrive. This vision includes further expanding our work to additional suppliers, while emphasizing stronger gender ecosystems, more representative leadership and ongoing collaboration to help advance industry alignment and impact.
*McKinsey & Company, “Women in the Workplace 2025”, December 9, 2025
**Strategic suppliers: strategic finished goods suppliers; suppliers representing approximately 80 percent of total footwear and apparel production.
When it comes to driving gender inclusivity, strategic suppliers are required to implement and maintain comprehensive policies and effective practices. We measure their progress and performance through our Self-Diagnostic Tool (SDT), developed with the International Center for Research on Women. Suppliers are required to complete the SDT annually. We analyze 10 domains that have a significant influence on creating gender-inclusive cultures in footwear and apparel manufacturing, including Worker Voice, Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Harassment, Care Support, Recruitment and Hiring and Professional Development and Skill Building.
From FY21 to FY25, there was a 55 percent improvement in SDT average scores (an increase of 31 percentage points over the five-year period from 56 percent in FY21 to 87 percent in FY25).
We also assess various critical enablers. For example, a stated commitment to equal pay for equal work; offering accessible, confidential grievance mechanisms in local languages; and maintaining a nondiscrimination policy. In FY25, 100 percent of strategic suppliers deployed all critical enablers.
We remain focused on supporting strategic suppliers throughout their gender maturity journey by providing data-informed insights, benchmarks and capability-building resources that help them better understand and respond to the needs of their workforce, including women. In FY24 and FY25, we saw an increase in suppliers leveraging the insights from self-assessments, trainings and consultations to develop programs that meet the specific needs of their workforce, such as parenting and financial literacy classes.
Supplier Training Programs
Over the years, NIKE, Inc. partnered with gender experts at CARE Impact Partners and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to deliver capacity building to facilities across geographies. CARE Impact Partners worked with strategic suppliers to understand key concerns and areas of improvement through one-on-one support. IFC provided training designed to help facilities make progress toward their own gender representation goals. Since FY23, 100 percent of strategic suppliers have set representation targets, as well as developed more specific support for workers focused on gender-inclusive recruitment and promotions, and support for working parents.
Women’s Leadership Accelerator Program
One way we support inclusive representation in our finished goods manufacturing facilities is by providing women with culturally and professionally relevant leadership development training through our Women’s Leadership Accelerator Program. The Accelerator program was developed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Mekong Development Research Institute in Vietnam.
We initially launched the Women’s Leadership Accelerator Program in Vietnam, our largest manufacturing country, in 2023. To create impact at scale, we expanded the program to Indonesia in 2024, our second largest manufacturing footprint.