Swiss sports brand On has released the Cloudprime, a shoe made from carbon emissions. The release is a significant moment in the company’s journey to move away from petroleum-based resources by creating a foam material it has trademarked called CleanCloud, which is made using carbon emissions as a raw material. On uses EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) foam in the midsole, and it could be used in other shoe parts and products in the future.
The sports brand, born in the Swiss Alps, envisions a future where every On product is fossil-free and fully circular. CleanCloud is the result of five years of work, which began with finding the best possible partners. This collaborative approach is key to overcoming the challenges of developing this complex technology at a commercial scale.
“Holding the first-ever shoe made of carbon emissions in my hands is a huge milestone – not only for On, but for the whole sports industry,” said Caspar Coppetti, co-founder and executive co-chairman of On. “Five years ago, this was barely a dream. Imagine what can happen in the future as we unlock the potential of alternative carbon sources with further research and in collaboration with the best partners.”
CleanCloud is the result of a pioneering supply chain partnership with some of the most innovative companies in biochemicals, process and material innovation, including LanzaTech, Borealis and Technip Energies.
LanzaTech uses a combination of cutting-edge genetic engineering, state-of-the-art biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and innovations in mechanical and chemical engineering to manufacture chemicals using a process that soaks up waste carbon rather than emitting it.
Technip Energies is an engineering and technology company for the energy transition, and in this consortium, it is in charge of the process of dehydrating ethanol to the gas ethylene, which is a monomer and the most important building block of widely used plastics.
Borealis is a provider of advanced, circular and renewable plastic solutions and is essential in creating high-performance, easy-to-process EVA foam for CleanCloud. This collaboration clearly underlines Borealis’commitment to a net zero future and fully aligns with its EverMinds™ ambition of accelerating circularity through partnerships.
On’s ambition is to bring the CleanCloud technology to as many consumers as possible in the near future. “We believe that On can be an agent for positive change through enabling and accelerating the scale-up of sustainable technologies such as CleanCloud,” Coppetti said.
Driven by the same spirit of sustainable innovation, On is collaborating with circular start-up Novoloop on the CleanCloud outsole, by using chemically upcycled TPU from post-consumer plastic waste. The outsole was put under rigorous lab and athlete testing, meeting specifications comparable to fossil-derived TPUs with a significant carbon footprint reduction. For the upper, On is collaborating with the French start-up Fairbrics to create a polyester-based textile made from carbon emissions.
Learn more about On’s sustainability journey in the On Impact Progress Report.
