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Swiss consumer group files greenwashing claim against sports brand ON
10 February 2025
Article 3(1)(b), (i) and (x) Loi contre la concurrence déloyale (the law against unfair competition)
Switzerland
Ongoing
Civil case – NGO
Environmental
ON
Key Facts:
In 2024, a Swiss TV programme aired an investigative report into claims made by the Swiss sports brand ON that it had developed the first entirely recyclable and circular trainer. The programme questioned the veracity of the trainer’s green credentials and highlighted ethical concerns about its supply chain.
In February 2025, consumer group, Fédération Romande des Consommateurs (FRC), announced that it had filed a claim in Zurich against ON for greenwashing. It is submitted that the marketing slogan “Courir. Recycler. Recommencer” (Run. Recycle. Repeat.) was misleading. FRC argues that the slogan suggests that it is beneficial for the circular economy, and that this impression is reinforced by the name of the scheme “Cyclon”.
The brand promises eco-responsible equipment, renewable every six months: “We make it. You wear it. Once worn, we recycle it into new shoe parts.” While this scheme has been on offer for some years, the investigative report aired last year suggested that no shoes had yet been recycled.
ON refutes the allegation, stating that it launched an initial recycling round in August 2024 and that 90% of the trainer is recycled into new ON trainers, with the remaining 10% recycled by its partners into diverse products.
The case is ongoing.
