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.
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