A consumer association in Switzerland has filed a complaint against running shoes brand On, based on new rules introduced in the country against greenwashing practices.

In a press release published on Monday, the Romandy Consumers Association (FRC) questioned On’s promotion of the ‘Cyclon’ programme, which gives customers the opportunity to take out a subscription for the use of a pair of shoes, rather than buying them. Subscribers are able to use the shoes until they are worn out and then exchange them for a new pair, on the understanding that the used shoes will be recycled.

The FRC press release questioned the references to circularity that are “ubiquitous” in On’s communication, which promises “sustainable gear, renewable every six months.”

A broadcast by Swiss channel RTS in June 2024 stated that “no shoes had yet been recycled.” Following the RTS broadcast, FRC contacted On but their interaction “only resulted in minor changes.”

FRC therefore thinks that On’s messages to consumers “are misleading and incomplete,” a position that On’s management is “disputing,” according to FRC’s press release.

FRC wanted to “test” a new rule in a Swiss law that came into force on January 1 2025. The federal law against unfair competition includes a new paragraph aimed at countering greenwashing practices, relating to claims about the climate impact of goods or services that cannot be proven on an objective and verifiable basis.

The complaint is “under investigation, having been filed with a prosecutor in Zurich,” said FRC, which is trying to verify the new rule’s effectiveness.

Contacted by AFP, sportswear and running shoes brand On stated that FRC has “no legitimate reason” to start “a court case now.” In a press release, On said that a first recycling round started in August 2024, and underlined it has been talking “in good faith” and “in a transparent manner” with FRC.

“We implemented a systematic and sustainable recycling process once we collected a sufficient quantity of shoes returned by customers,” On said in the press release, since recycling the shoes “pair by pair would have been inefficient and counterproductive.”

Zurich-based On was founded in 2010, and contacted tennis legend Roger Federer after spotting him wearing one of their models, proposing he invest in the company. On was listed on the stock market in 2021, and has been growing at a fast pace. In the first nine months of 2024, its revenue soared by 27.3% year-on-year to CHF1.7 billion (€1.8 billion).