Interest in sustainable fashion has been rising for years.
While many companies offer refurbished styles and recyclable materials, On, a Swiss running upstart, is looking to take sustainability a step further.
On’s new Cloudneo running shoe can be recycled to create a new pair, making it one of the first truly circular sales models in clothing, per The Wall Street Journal.
So how does it work?
On’s Cloudneo model starts with a subscription:
- Customers pay $29.99 per month for an endless supply of Cloudneo running shoes
- When the shoes get beat up, customers can return them to On, which will send them a new pair
- On then ships the returned shoes to a recycling plant where they’re cleaned, ground, and melted into plastic pellets, then sent to factories for assembly
If customers cancel their subscription without returning the shoes, they have to pay a penalty as part of the agreement.
The model…
… isn’t without its challenges. Its success depends on a number of variables, including how many people join, how long they subscribe for, and how long the shoes last.
The $30/mo. price tag could also limit the model’s appeal to a niche running crowd — many of whom might not be willing to trade performance for sustainability.
But if successful, there’s one big benefit of the model — the more shoes that get returned, the more recycled material to use for new pairs, meaning each new pair will have a smaller impact on the environment.
