Nike has released a new app, MAKING, to inform product developers on the environmental performance of the materials they use in their work. The app, powered by data from Nike Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), contains detailed information on silk, leather, wool, polypropylene, rayon-viscose and more.

Positive and valuable, the reference guide tool delivers statistical insights on the materials that are most frequently chosen by manufacturers of apparel and home goods. The colorful MAKING app takes the user through the most important environmental areas— Chemistry, Energy/Greenhouse Gas Intensity, Water/Land Intensity, and Physical Waste,—to see how sustainable their choices of materials are.

The materials can score max. 50 points for their performance in each area. For instance, silk gets 29.7 for its overall environmental impact (the highest score is 14.4 for its recycling potential). The team of developers have built the app with insights and professional feedback from students at London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion.

“Innovation is in Nike’s DNA, and sustainability is an integral part of Nike’s design process. We’ve created the MAKING app to empower any designer around the world to make better materials choices in the initial stages of the innovation process to ultimately create products that are better for consumers and better for the planet,” commented Lee Holman, Nike VP of Apparel Design.

Nike has also released a video, in which it explains why MAKING and other tools like this app are a must for designers of today and tomorrow.