A Finnish startup company has recently revealed that your next pair of kicks could be made from old coffee. Yup, you read that right. The company, called Rens, makes new sneakers from old coffee, which means that they were helping the environment and aiding in lessening the amount that goes into landfills, as well as reducing methane emissions.
In order for the company to produce the sneaker, they were backed by at least 5,000 people who pledged more than $500,000. Each pair of sneakers were made from around 21 cups of coffee and 6 recycled plastic bottles.
Since then, the company has begun selling their shoes, which come in 9 different shades. They’re even waterproof and said to be incredibly comfortable. Plus, they even absorb odors while being very user friendly as they are easily slipped on and off.
Co-founder of Rens, Jesse Tran, explained that the project came about because they wanted to help lessen people’s carbon footprint, while also providing an ‘everyday shoe that is functional and fashion-forward.’
Tran said, “As environmental awareness increases, so too does knowledge of the circular economy. Shoes made from recycled coffee grounds may seem novel to some, but we wholeheartedly believe that this is just the beginning of a revolution in garment technology and manufacturing.”
Since the company began, at least 750,000 cups of coffee and 250,000 water bottles have been used and transformed into their shoes. The process used is to combine coffee grounds with recycled plastic in a low-heat environment to produce a coffee yarn which is spun into the upper section of the shoes. Then the recycled plastic makes up the other components of the shoe, while a milk tree sap that biodegrades is used to make the outer sole.
Although they are pretty pricey, sold on Amazon for $119 a pop, they do offer free shipping anywhere in the world, as well as a 1-year guarantee on their waterproofing technology, as well as a 30-day money back guarantee.
There is another product with the same premise of being more sustainable, where the shoe is actually made out of material that becomes a fast-growing pod for an apple tree. And even if the shoe isn’t planted to allow the canvass containing enzymes that attract microorganisms to let it break down, it will still breakdown when it finally gets left in a landfill as trash.
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