Rens Nomad is an eco-conscious sneaker made of coffee

Leather? Sure. Polyester? Old hat. Rubber? Been there, worn that. But a trainer made out of old coffee grounds? Now we’ve seen it all, baby! The Rens Nomad (crowdfunding now on Kickstarter) is the sneaker in question: vegan and climate-neutral, its yarn upper is constructed from a 50/50 combination of recycled polyester and coffee waste, while a waterproof membrane keeps the wearer’s feet dry in all conditions and a natural rubber outsole provides solid traction no matter the terrain. The Nomad is Finnish startup Rens’ second trainer, designed to be more performance-friendly than its predecessor the Original, and the company claims it has been able to recycle over 250,000 plastic bottles and 750,000 cups of used coffee since 2019. We’ll drink to that.

Sam Kieldsen Contributor

About

Tech journalism's answer to The Littlest Hobo, I've written for a host of titles and lived in three different countries in my 15 years-plus as a freelancer. But I've always come back home to Stuff eventually, where I specialise in writing about cameras, streaming services and being tragically addicted to Destiny.

Areas of expertise

Cameras, drones, video games, film and TV