Tennis star Roger Federer is a shareholder of On shoes.
Keystone-SDA / Gaetan Bally
The consumer affairs bureau of French-speaking Switzerland has filed a legal complaint against On, the sports equipment brand, accusing it of greenwashing. The shoemaker rejects the allegations.
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Since 2022, On has marketed and advertised a sports shoe as “100% recyclable, ad infinitum”. However, in June 2024, Swiss public broadcaster, RTS, revealedExternal link that Cloudneo trainers had not yet been recycled, despite the sale of tens of thousands of pairs.
The consumer affairs bureau claims the brand’s advertising “has all the hallmarks of greenwashing”. It therefore decided to file a complaint after discussions with On “resulted only in minor changes to their website”.
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On refutes the allegations, stating that it launched an initial recycling round of approximately 1,000 shoes in August 2024. It said: “More than 90% of each Cloudneo shoe is recycled into the components of new On shoes. The small remainder is recycled by partners and reused in various consumer and industrial products. None of the Cyclon products returned to On were landfilled.”
The consumer affairs bureau’s complaint falls under Switzerland’s new law against unfair competition. From January 2025, the law bans advertising “concerning climate impact that cannot be proven on objective and verifiable grounds”.
Adapted from French by Deepl/jdp
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