Swiss Consumer Association presents a green washing complaint against ON

A consumer association in Switzerland has filed a complaint against the race shoes brand, based on new rules introduced in the country against green washing practices.

In a press release published on Monday, the Romandy (FRC) consumer association questioned the promotion of the 'Cyclon' program, which gives customers the opportunity to get a subscription for the use of a couple of shoes, instead of buy them. Subscribers can wear shoes until they are worn and then exchange them for a new pair, with the understanding that used shoes will be recycled.

The FRC press release questioned the references to circularity that are “omnipresent” in the communication of ON, which promises “sustainable, renewable team every six months.”

A transmission of Swiss Channel RTS in June 2024 declared that “shoes had not yet been recycled.” After RTS transmission, FRC contacted but his interaction “only turned out in minor changes.”

Therefore, FRC thinks that on consumers' messages “are misleading and incomplete”, a position that the management of ON is “disputed”, according to the FRC press release.

FRC wanted to “prove” a new rule in a Swiss law that entered into force on January 1, 2025. The federal law against unfair competition includes a new paragraph destined to counteract green washing practices, related to statements on impact Climate of goods or services that cannot be tested objectively and verifiable.

The complaint is “under investigation, having been presented to a prosecutor in Zurich,” said FRC, who is trying to verify the effectiveness of the new rule.

Contacted by the AFP, Sportswear and Running Shoes brand in declaring that FRC has no “legitimate reason” to begin “a judicial case now.” In a press release, he said that a first recycling round began in August 2024, and stressed that he has been talking “in good faith” and “transparently” with FRC.

“We implement a systematic and sustainable recycling process once we collect a sufficient amount of shoes returned by customers,” he said in the press release, since recycling the shoes “the pairs pairs would have been inefficient and counterproductive.”

On, based in Zurich, was founded in 2010 and contacted the legend of tennis Roger Federer after detecting it using one of its models, proposing to invest in the company. On appeared in the stock market in 2021, and has been growing at a fast pace. In the first nine months of 2024, their income shot at 27.3% year -on -year to Chf1.7 billion (€ 1.8 billion).