To fight climate change, we need to reduce consumption and thus emissions, use sustainable materials and technologies, recycle, and try to minimize the footprint we leave on our planet. In order to achieve this, many companies are increasingly careful about the production systems of their products: they recycle materials, use “clean” ones (whose production therefore produces low emissions), minimize their packaging, and make economies on the distribution and logistics system.
On has long been among them, and its sensitivity regarding the environment is not new: two years ago it had already launched the Cyclon shoe, which is highly environmentally friendly in materials and distributed only by subscription. This means that these shoes are always replaced, you can’t store them, and On is in charge of recycling worn-out ones.
A new frontier
Now On moves even further, or rather approaches the problem of sustainability from a new point of view. In fact, the Cloudprime model is the first in the world to be made with CO2 emissions.
In short, if the production of any material inevitably leads to CO2 emissions, why not use them–for the production itself? This must be the reasoning from which On started developing this model, which stems from On’s collaboration with several chemical companies.
But let’s go in order: how do you make a shoe out of CO2 emissions?
Technology and chemistry
To make this magic happen, On partnered with LanzaTech, a chemical company that uses a harmless bacterium to convert carbon monoxide into ethanol, which is then converted first into EVA and then into TPU by Technip Energies, to become at the end of the cycle the CleanCloud foam made in collaboration with Novoloop. On ensures that the mechanical performance of this “clean” midsole is comparable to that of other materials they use in their shoes.
As if it was not enough, the upper is also obtained from CO2 emissions thanks to French Fairbrics and their mesh. The result is the world’s first shoe that does not lower or cancel emissions-it incorporates them in itself, using them and not releasing any into the environment.
For now, On Cloudprime is not yet publicly available, but the road is laid out, and hopefully it will take us far.