Kickstart: Never mind slip-ons: This shoe has spray-on technology

The next generation of running super shoes don't have laces or a traditional upper. Instead, the shoes from Swiss brand On feature an upper made of a thermoplastic filament sprayed on as one piece. Runners just slide on the flexible upper.

On is highlighting at the Cloudboom Strike LS shoes during the Paris Olympics, both at a pop-up store and in races. They retail for $330. The company hasn't said which athletes will be wearing the shoe with its LightSpray upper but said it has sponsored athletes racing in distances from sprints to the marathon. Kenya's Hellen Obiri won the 2024 Boston Marathon wearing a "development" version of the shoe in April.

To be clear, the Cloudboom Strike isn't sprayed on directly to the athlete, but instead goes onto a custom inner structure via a robot. The sole of the shoe is made with a foam using plastics with 40 percent bio-based content and a carbon-fiber plate.

Beyond the "wow" factor of super shoes, On says they show the potential of a different way to manufacture footwear. Most shoes are now made in Asia and shipped to global customers. The LightSpray requires little space and can be updated quickly by tweaking the robot's operating instructions. In a video, On executives noted that during development, it reduced the manufacturing time for new variations from weeks to just a few hours. The automated, localized process also reduces waste, with an upper made with 75 percent fewer carbon emissions.

"It also creates new opportunities for circular manufacturing and products, thanks to its construction from a single recyclable material and the assembly process that eliminates the need for glue," the company said.

Marine pollution isn't just about plastic pellets or fishing equipment. An estimated 2 million metric tons of microfibers are released into the environment each year, much of it from clothing. Some of those particles are shed during normal wear and tear, but a lot of it also comes from domestic laundry when they are swept into municipal sewer systems during the rinse cycle.

Plastics News' Bridget Janis writes that U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat with a big interest in plastic pollution and public policy, has introduced a bill that would require home laundry machines to include filters that would capture these fibers. (Homeowners would need to empty the filters into trash cans occasionally.)

"Many people do not know that clothes are major contributors to our global plastic pollution crisis," Merkley said in introducing the Fighting Fibers Act of 2024.

A quick reminder: You have two weeks to nominate a Rising Star in the plastics industry. Plastics News' annual recognition of people age 35 and younger in the industry will run in the Sept. 16 issue. Nominations must be submitted by Aug. 16.

Begin by filling out a survey here. You can nominate yourself or a co-worker. We are looking for people who have not been a part of another PN award — such as Women Breaking the Mold or Notable Leaders in Sustainability — within the last five years.

You can find profiles of past Rising Stars here.