Are recyclable shoes the future of footwear?

Interest in sustainable fashion has been rising for years.

While many companies offer refurbished styles and recyclable materials, On, a Swiss running upstart, is looking to take sustainability a step further.

On’s new Cloudneo running shoe can be recycled to create a new pair, making it one of the first truly circular sales models in clothing, per The Wall Street Journal.

So how does it work?

On’s Cloudneo model starts with a subscription:

• Customers pay $29.99 per month for an endless supply of Cloudneo running shoes
• When the shoes get beat up, customers can return them to On, which will send them a new pair
• On then ships the returned shoes to a recycling plant where they’re cleaned, ground, and melted into plastic pellets, then sent to factories for assembly

If customers cancel their subscription without returning the shoes, they have to pay a penalty as part of the agreement.

The model…

… isn’t without its challenges. Its success depends on a number of variables, including how many people join, how long they subscribe for, and how long the shoes last.

The $30/mo. price tag could also limit the model’s appeal to a niche running crowd — many of whom might not be willing to trade performance for sustainability.

But if successful, there’s one big benefit of the model — the more shoes that get returned, the more recycled material to use for new pairs, meaning each new pair will have a smaller impact on the environment.