Together with the tech company Technip Energies, the chemical company LanzaTech and the plastic solutions' provider Borealis, On's developed a shoe made from Clean Cloud EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) foam, which uses carbon emissions as its raw material. Entitled Cloudprime, this sneaker is part of the brand's efforts to move away from using fossil feedstock, exploring alternative materials to create high-performance sports products. The Swiss company is the first in the footwear industry to use carbon emissions as the primary raw material for the midsole of a shoe.

"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. 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", commented Caspar Coppetti, On's co-founder and executive co-chairman.

LanzaTech's technology captures carbon monoxide emitted from industrial sources like steel mills before being released into the atmosphere. Once captured, these emissions enter a patented fermentation process, and thanks to a specially selected and naturally occurring bacteria, the carbon-rich gas ferments naturally and is converted to ethanol. Then, the ethanol is dehydrated to create ethylene by Technip Energies, which is then polymerized by Borealis to become EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) in a form of solid small plastic pellets – the versatile and lightweight material that On starts working with to create a performance foam for shoes.

On's ambition is now to bring the CleanCloud technology to as many consumers as soon as possible. "We believe that On can be an agent for positive change through enabling and accelerating the scale up of sustainable technologies such as CleanCloud", stated Caspar Coppetti.