On, a young performance running shoe scale up (beyond startup now in high growth mode) based in Switzerland with Roger Federer as a passionate shareholder and ambassador, has successfully designed, engineering, and launched the first 100% fully sustainable, closed loop, running shoe as a service.
https://www.on-running.com/en-au/cyclon
Here's the backstory on how the On team where considering 'what if?'
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What is Circularity at On?
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One material - How to engineer the shoe with one material across the whole closed loop cycle?
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Key takeaways
- On has successfully demonstrated how to design and deliver a closed loop shoe which consumers don't need to own;
- Sustainable materials are out there. You just need to do the research to find them;
- Supply and logistics need to be considered based on a local city by city demand levels in order to enable a circular, closed loop cycle which maximises the positive environmental, social, and economic impact where humans are most often.