Could "On Running", the sneaker brand that Roger Federer has teamed up with, hold the prize for greenwashing across all categories? The sneaker success story presents the Cloudneo as the first sneaker to be entirely recyclable, durable and circular. Sure, these shoes are made from castor beans. But as for the rest...Our investigation reveals that On is far from meeting the industry's sustainability standards. The same goes for the myth of circularity. From the factory producing these shoes in Vietnam to the Arkema site in Marseille classified as a dangerous area because of the bromine, chlorine or ammonia used to transform castor beans into plastic, we are in reality light years away from a product that is good for the planet. Investigation in India, Vietnam and France.

Filming Locations
Katakana, Gujarat, India (castor bean cultivation).
Marseille, France (chemical transformation of castor oil into polymer at the Arkema site).
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (shoe manufacturing at the Pro Well factory in Long Can industrial zone).
Zurich, Switzerland (On Running headquarters).
Lausanne, EPFL, Switzerland (research laboratory on biodegradable polymers).

Main Contributors
Anne Pélouas, polymer specialist.
David H., textile investigator for the NGO Public Eye.
Jeremy Lothar Baché, EPFL researcher on biodegradable polymers.
Lucien Calando and Annie Calando, residents near the Arkema factory in Marseille.
Vishnou Baï and Savita Ben, farmers growing castor beans in Katakana, Gujarat.
Three anonymous workers from the Pro Well factory in Vietnam.

Key Issues
The Cloud Neo shoe sold as recyclable is still not recycled two years after its launch.
The transformation of castor oil into polymer requires dangerous chemical processes at the Marseille Arkema site classified as high-level Seveso, surrounded by residential areas.
The manufacturing of On Running sneakers, both for raw materials in India and production in Vietnam, raises clear ethical and environmental issues.
Greenwashing is an integral part of On Running's brand strategy.

Key Figures
8,000 kilometers separate the Indian castor bean fields from On Running headquarters.
28,000 kilometers are traveled by a Cloud Neo shoe for a single theoretical recycling cycle.
220 euros per month: Vietnamese workers who manufacture the sneakers are paid well below the Vietnamese minimum wage (450 euros).
1,000 shoes recycled in summer 2024, two years after the Cloud Neo launch.

Quotes
Anne Pélouas, polymer specialist: "These are commercial practices that should not be allowed."
Anne Pélouas: "Circularity does not currently exist for conventional plastic, there is no life cycle, it's a life chain."
Jeremy Lothar Baché, EPFL researcher: "The real solution is not to wait for a company to do things because they're nice, it would be to create a system where sustainably is necessary in order to make money."