Swiss Sportswear Brand On presents its first apparel collection made with CleanCloud® technology

Main Facts:

On is revealing its first apparel products made from carbon emissions, called Pace Collection
The Pace Apparel Collection is made from CleanCloud® technology that uses carbon emissions as a raw material
CleanCloud® polyester reduces carbon emissions by 20% compared to virgin polyester
With CleanCloud®, On wants to move the industry away from fossil-based materials to reduce dependence on a finite resource
On is partnering with LanzaTech, one of the most innovative companies in biochemicals, process, and material innovation

Swiss sportswear brand On today launches its first apparel collection made from carbon emissions, called Pace Collection. This is a significant moment in On’s journey to move away from petroleum-based resources by creating a new material called CleanCloud®, made using carbon emissions as a raw material.

With CleanCloud®, On wants to move the industry away from virgin fossil-based materials to reduce dependence on a finite resource. The Pace Collection apparel launch follows the announcement of the first-ever shoe made of carbon emissions, Cloudprime, in partnership with LanzaTech (Nasdaq: LNZA) in September last year.

“The apparel Pace Collection is an additional step in our effort to move away from virgin fossil-based materials and offers a sneak peek into the future for the next generation of runners,” explains Begüm Kürkçü, Global Head of ESG at On. “Our CleanCloud® polyester is made of 20% recycled carbon emissions, replacing the same amount of virgin fossil-based materials and equally reducing carbon emissions by 20% compared to virgin polyester. This means less strain on the planet.”

On’s ambitions are high: The sports brand born in the Swiss Alps envisions a future where every On product is fossil-free and circular. CleanCloud® is the result of five years of dedicated work, which began with finding the best possible partners. This collaborative approach is key to overcoming the challenges of developing this complex technology at a commercial scale.

“We are incredibly proud that after introducing the first-ever shoe made from carbon emissions last year, we can now bring our CleanCloud® technology to apparel,” says Caspar Coppetti, Co-Founder and Executive Co-Chairman of On. “This dream couldn’t become a reality without the collaboration of partners with the same uncompromising approach in finding innovations for a more sustainable future in the sportswear industry.”

CleanCloud® is the result of a pioneering supply chain partnership with some of the most innovative companies in biochemicals, process, and material innovation, like LanzaTech. LanzaTech uses a combination of cutting-edge bio-technology, artificial intelligence, and innovations in mechanical and chemical engineering to manufacture chemicals using a process that recycles waste carbon rather than emitting it.

“Yesterday’s emissions are today’s apparel! There is enough carbon above ground to make nearly everything we need,” said Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. “We are proud to be enabling the circular carbon economy by creating an ecosystem of likeminded partners, such as On.”

This is how it works: LanzaTech equips industrial facilities like steel mills with bioreactor hardware that captures carbon-rich gases at the source, before they can be released into the atmosphere. Inside the bioreactor, specially selected and naturally occurring bacteria consume the waste carbon to produce more sustainable versions of widely-used chemical building blocks through a proprietary fermentation process, that is similar to conventional alcohol production, e.g. beer brewing. In this case, ethanol was produced in the bioreactors, which was then dehydrated to become ethylene gas and turned into monoethylene glycol (MEG). Afterwards, the MEG is polymerized with purified terephthalic acid (PTA) into the final polyester. This polyester is extruded into a yarn engineered into On’s CleanCloud® apparel fabric.

The Pace Collection comprises eight apparel items, including the Pace Long-T, Pace-T, Pace Tank T, and Pace Shorts. The FW23 Pace Collection is a pre-launch with limited availability. It’s available online on www.on.com and at our retail partners NetAPorter and Mr.Porter.High-resolution images are available for download here.

About On

On was born in the Swiss Alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running by empowering all to run on clouds. Thirteen 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. Fueled by customer recommendation, On’s award-winning CloudTec® innovation, purposeful design, and groundbreaking strides in sportswear’s circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base — inspiring humans to explore, discover and dream on.

On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community.