For more than 30 years, Nike has made Belgium a strategic cornerstone of its European operations at the intersection of industry-leading logistics, sustainable growth and community engagement. Stretching across three municipalities (Laakdal, Ham and Meerhout) and two provinces (Antwerp and Limburg), Nike’s 465,000-square-meter European Logistics Campus stands as a powerful example of an American company embracing Belgium to create the future of sport — all from the heart of Europe.
Serving Athletes in the Heart of Europe
Nike’s mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. To make it happen, Nike built its largest global logistics hub in Belgium: the European Logistics Campus, better known as Nike ELC.
The strategic location — along the E313 highway and the Albert Canal, with a direct connection to the Port of Antwerp and the necessary space to support Nike’s global growth — was the starting point of a powerful logistical partnership back in 1994.
Beyond its location, however, the world’s leading sports brand came to Belgium to tap into local know-how, skills and productivity. For over 30 years, Belgium’s renowned inventiveness has enabled Nike to power its drive for innovation and global sports leadership.
Since then, Nike has invested over €1 billion to make the ELC one of the most advanced logistics hubs in Europe. Today, the ELC ships to more than 30 countries and covers three-quarters of Nike EMEA volume — with a handling capacity of more than 1 million units per day.
Its logistical scale is driven through the lens of a people-centered culture. With more than 5.000 permanent employees at the site, rising to over 8.000 at peak times, Nike is not just a major private employer in the region, it’s also one of the largest American employers in Belgium, ranking 5th in Randstad’s list of most attractive Belgian employers in 2025.
Protecting the Future of Sport
Nike not only excels at creating premium sporting goods that fuel world-class athletic performances, it’s also on a journey to building the world’s most responsible supply chain.
Sustainability has always played a central role in Nike’s operations in Belgium. At Nike ELC, all energy is sourced from five local and renewable sources: wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass. In addition to that, the use of 100% renewable electricity and alternative fuels has accelerated the ELC’s bold ambition to becoming a fossil-free campus.
Beyond its campus, sustainability efforts expand deep into Nike EMEA’s logistics network. Today, 99% of inbound containers arrive by water, avoiding thousands of truck journeys each year. True to its pioneering spirit, in 2023, Nike ELC launched the ‘H2Barge1’, the world’s first hydrogen-powered, zero-emission inland container ship — expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by 2,000 tons per year. Additionally, Nike has reduced air freight to less than 1% of its volume and continues to scale electric van deliveries across major European cities, including Paris and London.
These are just a few examples of how Nike has turned Belgium into a living lab for sustainable logistics, setting a global standard for responsible supply chain management.
Advancing through the Power of Community
Beyond its innovation in sustainability and reputation as a great place to work, Nike has always been committed to having a positive impact on Belgian communities. This includes empowering underprivileged youth through the King Baudouin Foundation, caring for people with intellectual disabilities, powering the future of youth sport, and involving employees in community engagement through donation matching, volunteering, and non-profit local fundraising.
As the number one sports company in the world, Nike’s commitment to Belgian sports is equally significant, supporting clubs at national and local level, while empowering some of Belgium’s finest top athletes, such as 3-time Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam, Belgium Red Devils’ top goal scorer Romelu Lukaku, and Women’s EuroBasket, EuroLeague and WNBA champion & MVP Emma Meesseman.
What Nike has built in Belgium goes far beyond a logistics hub. The Nike European Logistics Campus has become a beacon for sustainable innovation and growth, where passionate teammates unite in the very heart of Europe to serve athletes* across EMEA.
*If you have a body, you are an athlete.
The views and opinions expressed in blog posts authored by AmCham Belgium members are those of the individual member companies and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium.
Belgium at the Heart of Nike’s Sustainable and Innovative Supply Chain Ambitions