From Pollution to Performance: On Scales the First EVA Midsole Made Using Captured Carbon Emissions to Over a Million

Today, the Swiss premium sportswear brand On launches the Cloud X 5, one of the brand’s most popular footwear styles with a midsole featuring CleanCloud™. A breakthrough technology with more than 80% lower modeled carbon impact than conventional fossil-based EVA under the LCA’s credit approach. This marks the first time a sportswear brand has successfully created an EVA midsole made using captured carbon emissions and scaled it to over a million pairs, hitting its commercial target four years ahead of schedule.

Traditional sports shoe midsoles rely heavily on fossil fuels. As the primary cushioning layer of a shoe, the midsole is almost always made of EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) or PU (Polyurethane) – foams derived directly from crude oil processing. CleanCloud™ disrupts this cycle by using captured CO₂ emissions as raw material. Industrial carbon emissions are intercepted before they can enter the atmosphere and are combined with green hydrogen produced using renewable energy. Together, these elements are transformed into e-naphtha, which serves as the base ingredient to produce the final EVA foam. The result is a high-performance foam that turns industrial carbon emissions into a key ingredient for the brand’s shoes.

Uncompromised performance – lower carbon footprint of midsole

“When you step into our new Cloud X 5, you will feel the exact same signature On cushioning, agility, and energy return you expect. There is absolutely zero compromise on performance”, says Jean-Philippe Romain, Director of Polymer Science & Engineering. “In simple terms: the foam does not care about where its carbons come from.”

The performance of the shoe is identical to traditional EVA because, on a molecular level, the ethylene produced from captured carbon is identical to standard ethylene. The resulting material shares the exact same Technical Data Sheet (TDS) as standard EVA, meaning that parameters like molecular weight, polymer chain length, and melting point are indistinguishable.

While the performance is identical, the environmental impact is not. To accurately assess the environmental benefits of the technology foam, On conducted a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Performed by Carbon Minds and critically reviewed by TÜV in accordance with ISO14040/44/71, following the credit approach according to the TfS method, this study models at least 80% lower carbon emissions compared to conventional manufacturing pathways.*

Because the midsole accounts for more than half of the shoe’s total weight, On has prioritized it as a material innovation focus.

From a “Crazy Idea” to Global Scale

“I remember my very first 1-on-1 with my manager when he handed me this project. To be completely honest, at first, I thought it was a crazy, silly idea”, says Jean-Philippe Romain, Director of Polymer Science & Engineering. “This initiative came purely from a raw innovation mindset: Can we take a resource that is abundant in the atmosphere and do something positive with it? Can we make the problem part of the solution?”

When On first announced this initiative in 2022, the proof-of-concept had only produced five pairs of shoes, with commercial scale targeted for the end of the decade. Today, On is scaling to over a million pairs four years ahead of schedule.

The Supply Chain Breakthrough: A Plug-and-Play Solution

The brand was able to achieve this rapid acceleration because CleanCloud™ is fundamentally a supply chain story. By collaborating directly with chemical companies, On has engineered a plug-and-play solution that integrates into existing chemical reactors, allowing them to scale fast without building entirely new factories from scratch.

This entirely new chemical value chain relies on Infinium Energy to convert captured CO₂ emissions into liquid e-naphtha. The material is then handed over to Borouge International, a leading global polymers player, who transform the e-naphtha into commercially ready e-EVA pellets, which are subsequently used to produce EVA foam.

Finding these allies, however, was a challenge. After being rejected multiple times by traditional industry players who doubted the concept, Borouge International recognized the opportunity and invested in the vision.

Working with suppliers like Infinium – a leading producer of commercial-scale e-Naphtha – the brand was able to move from concept to commercial reality far more quickly than would otherwise have been possible.

“We didn’t have a massive business case – we just had a few slides, immense enthusiasm, and a big dream”, continues Romain. “But by rethinking how a supply chain can collaborate, we scaled to over a million pairs today. The speed at which we went from a single wild prototype to commercial-scale production is incredibly fast for the chemical and footwear industries.”

Moving forward, On aims to replace traditional EVA midsole units in other styles across its product portfolio with innovative alternatives like CleanCloud™.

The Cloud X 5 launches July 16, 2026. For more information about CleanCloud™, see here.

*The LCA is a cradle-to-gate assessment based on modeled scenarios and secondary data. The results represent potential environmental performance under defined assumptions and should not be interpreted as verified product-level emission reductions. The full LCA report is available here and the TÜV critical review statement is available here.

About On

On was born in the Swiss Alps in 2010 with the mission to ignite the human spirit through movement – a mission that still guides the brand today. Sixteen years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, training, all-day activities and tennis. On’s award-winning CloudTec® and LightSpray™ innovation, purposeful design and groundbreaking strides within the circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base – inspiring humans to explore, discover and Dream On. On is present in more than 80 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on.com.

About Infinium

Infinium is reimagining how the world powers, moves, and computes. Through Infinium Energy™, the company transforms waste carbon into ultra-low carbon eFuels that decarbonize aviation, industry, and transport. Through Infinium Edge™, Infinium advances next-generation thermal infrastructure for data centers, removing heat as a constraint to enable more efficient, high-performance computing. Grounded in deep chemistry and energy systems expertise, Infinium’s platforms turn carbon and heat from limits into opportunities.

About Borouge International

Borouge Group International AG (Borouge International) is a global leader in polyolefins formed in 2026 through the combination of Borouge Plc, Borealis and NOVA Chemicals. Backed by long-term shareholders XRG, the international investment arm of ADNOC, and OMV, Borouge International brings together world-class assets, advantaged feedstock access and proprietary technology to deliver reliable high-performance polyolefin solutions across consumer products, infrastructure, energy, mobility and advanced products.

Borouge International combines a differentiated asset base, global reach and deep technical expertise to serve customers across key growth markets. The company is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, with a regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and corporate hubs in North America and Asia Pacific. Learn more about the company: https://www.borougeinternational.com/.