Running shoe brand On’s circularity strategy picked up pace this week with the launch of the Cloudrise Cyclon 1.1, a new product made from old footwear collected from its customers.
In what is a first tangible step in On’s mission to give the materials it uses in products a second life, the Cloudrise Cyclon 1.1’s speedboard is composed of 99.5% recycled materials, derived from a combination of post-consumer Cloudneo shoes returned by subscribers and leftovers from the manufacturing process. The speedboard is a plate embedded between the midsole and upper in several On running shoes, helping the shoes’ flexibility.
In 2022, when On launched its Cyclon subscription service, it promised to find ways to keep high-performance materials in circulation. It said the path to this point has been “a collaborative process”, made possible by its subscriber community and a network of partners which built the intricate system to support the mission.
It has also required time to collect a sufficient volume of returned Cyclon shoes to make the recycling process both efficient and responsible, On said in a statement this week.
Serena Bonomi, a circular design consultant who joined On as head of circularity in February this year, said: “The Cloudrise Cyclon 1.1 is a humble but profound step for us.
“It’s a tangible demonstration of what’s possible when we connect products, business models, and operations in circular systems. We’ve learned immensely throughout this process – from understanding consumer behaviour, collecting materials, required infrastructures and logistics, to recycling limitations and potentials.”
She added: “This launch is a proof point that we can give materials a new purpose by combining post-consumer shoes with manufacturing leftovers, and it strengthens our resolve to continue building more circular systems.”
On noted that the Cloudrise Cyclon 1.1 maintains the same wide fit and “versatile, neutral running sensation” as the original Cloudrise, which it said demonstrates that sustainability and performance standards are not mutually exclusive.
The product itself is being introduced exclusively in a limited edition and is available to all Cyclon programme subscribers in the US, Canada, the European Union, Switzerland, and the UK.
On views the launch as “a crucial phase”, allowing the business to gather insights and refine its circularity processes.
This week, UK department store chain John Lewis also launched a product range made from reclaimed materials, highlighting growing momentum in retailers’ efforts in becoming more circular businesses.
[image credit: On]
