Rens Sustainability - SustainabilityTracker.com

Rens Original is a Finland-based footwear brand founded by Vietnamese entrepreneurs Jesse Tran and Son Chu. Its sustainability position centres on making sneakers from coffee polyester yarn and recycled polyester, with each pair using upcycled coffee grounds and post-consumer plastic bottles. The brand says its shoes have less impact than leather and textile alternatives, and the products are designed to be lightweight, waterproof, UV-resistant and vegan. Rens has also said it wants to change the fashion industry and expand production and reach while building a global fashion brand around environmental and sustainable values.

Coffee-ground sneakers

Rens Original takes leftover coffee and upcycles the discarded grounds into environmentally-friendly sneakers. The shoes are made from coffee polyester yarn, a mixture of coffee yarn and recycled polyester made with post-consumer plastic, and for each pair, 26 cups of coffee and six plastic bottles are upcycled.

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Vegan footwear materials

The shoes do not use any animal-derived ingredients, making them 100% vegan. Other features include being lightweight, waterproof and UV-resistant, meaning no unwanted yellowing.

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Lower-impact shoes

According to the company, Rens has 80% less impact on the environment than leather shoes and 60% less impact than its textile counterparts.

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Factory Finder project

A few years ago, the Vietnamese pair won Finland’s Summer of Startups 2016 with their Factory Finder project, an online platform that connects European fashion brands with Vietnamese factories.

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Crowdfunding and sales

Earning more than half a million dollars from more than 5,000 customers in 107 countries via Kickstarter, Rens Original became the most successful crowdfunding phenomenon in Northern Europe.

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