On's Latest Shoe Is Literally Its Cleanest Yet
After putting clay first with KITH's Ronnie Fieg and Roger Federer, On Running picks up the momentum with what the Swiss sportswear company promises to be its most sustainable runner yet.
Behold, the On Cloudprime! Stepping into the light, the Cloudprime is the brand's (and the world's) first-ever shoe made from carbon emissions.
These are the dangerous greenhouse gases that pose the biggest environmental concern for the planet, by the way.
The Cloudprime runner's CloudTec midsole consists of the CleanCloud materials, the Swiss sports label's new supply chain initiative dedicated to turning greenhouse emissions into quality performance materials.
The latest On shoe sees the brand's signature Speedboard tote bio-based TPU, packing in conscious spring to boost the runner's initial takeoff. Meanwhile, Cloudprime's outsole introduces On heads (and everyone else on the planet) to the first-ever chemically-recycled TPU made of discarded plastic.
A historic milestone for On, the Cloudprime is also a step closer to the brand's goal of creating entirely fossil-free sports products.
With expert help from chemical engineers and material developers at LanzaTech, Technip Energies, and Borealis, the Cloudprime and its CleanCloud technologies confirm that the brand can reduce its carbon footprint without comprising its much-praised performance-enhancing capabilities.
To make a long story short, the way it works is that LanzaTech uses a bespoke recipe of bacteria to "ferment" and convert harmful carbon monoxide into ethanol, which Technip Energies then converts into ethylene that Borealis polymerizes into plastic pellets of EVA.
From there, On partners with Novoloop to turn this thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) byproduct into its CleanCloud outsole, which On promises is comparable to fossil-derived TPUs. On has tapped French start-up Fairbrics to produce a complementary textile upper that'll also be made of carbon emissions, yielding a shoe that's almost entirely derived of would-be carbon waste.
On's Cloudprime sneaker isn't available to the public (yet), but it's certainly a step – or run, in On's case — in the right direction.
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