Environment

Luxury sneaker maker wants you to wrap your feet in recycled coffee

Luxury sneaker maker wants you to wrap your feet in recycled coffee
Around 50 percent of the material used in the upper comes from recycled coffee grinds, coffee beans and coffee plants
Around 50 percent of the material used in the upper comes from recycled coffee grinds, coffee beans and coffee plants
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Two nat-2 Coffee line styles are available, the high-tops shown here and a low slung sneaker
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Two nat-2 Coffee line styles are available, the high-tops shown here and a low slung sneaker
A close-up of the coffee-based material used in the uppers of nat-2's new line of sneakers
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A close-up of the coffee-based material used in the uppers of nat-2's new line of sneakers
The suede-like material stitched to the outside of the nat-2 Coffee line of sneakers is actually made from recycled PET bottles
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The suede-like material stitched to the outside of the nat-2 Coffee line of sneakers is actually made from recycled PET bottles
Around 50 percent of the material used in the upper comes from recycled coffee grinds, coffee beans and coffee plants
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Around 50 percent of the material used in the upper comes from recycled coffee grinds, coffee beans and coffee plants
The unisex Coffee sneakers are handmade in Italy and have been designed not to look like "the usual eco stuff"
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The unisex Coffee sneakers are handmade in Italy and have been designed not to look like "the usual eco stuff"
View gallery - 5 images

It's not just big names in footwear like Adidas, Reebok and Puma that have been making strides to attract eco-conscious consumers of late, a new company launched last year to market shoes made from algae and a UK startup Rothy knitted its shoes from yarn made from recycled bottles. Germany's eco-lux footwear brand nat-2 has been making sustainable footwear for a few years, and has now launched some sneakers made from recycled coffee, with some recycled plastic bottles thrown in for good measure.

nat-2 has previously launched footwear made using tree fungus, real stone, hay/grass/flowers and sustainable wood. As the name suggests, the sneakers in the company's new Coffee line feature uppers fashioned from "sustainable recycled coffee, coffee beans and coffee plant."

The unisex sneakers are handmade in Italy and have been designed not to look like "the usual eco stuff." And the company says that wearers can even look forward to a familiar whiff of coffee as they walk along.

A close-up of the coffee-based material used in the uppers of nat-2's new line of sneakers
A close-up of the coffee-based material used in the uppers of nat-2's new line of sneakers

Coffee is reported to make up about half of the material used in the uppers, depending on the style selected, with the suede-like material actually coming from recycled PET bottles. The glue is animal-free, the outsoles are made from real rubber and the anti-bacterial, padded insoles are made using cork.

The 100 percent vegan-friendly nat-2 Coffee Line commands a luxury price tag of €390 (about US$445) per pair.

Source: nat-2

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2 comments
2 comments
Johannes
Why not just put all the coffee offal into compost? Seems like the sneaker idea is just greenwashing - putting more energy, water and time into making a supposedly eco-friendly product than is gained by the replacement of other materials.
rude.dawg
The materials may be sustainable but the price tag will cause my budget to go extinct.