Finnish firm Rens aims to raise $1 mn for climate-neutral sneakers

Rens Original, the Finnish sustainable start-up behind sneakers made from coffee waste and recycled plastic, has launched its new Kickstarter project to raise $1 million for the world’s first crowdfunded climate neutral sneaker. The money will be used to manufacture and distribute Nomad, designed from customer’s feedback for all performance activities.

Rens Nomad will be climate neutral from raw materials, packaging, production, transport and waste. Specifically, Rens will work with Climate Partner to reduce and offset all the climate emissions at each stage of the process, the company said in a media release.

Designed with performance at the forefront while remaining fully sustainable, Nomad strongly supports all activities such as hiking, walking or trail running under any weather conditions. Created from waste-based and low-impact materials, Nomad features a fully recycled waterproof layer and a self-developed ventilation system.

“With the new model, we are continuing our mission to integrate sustainable fashion with technology and innovation. We are particularly pleased to include the feedback from the customers in the development of NOMAD, who explicitly requested a performance sneaker,” said Jesse Tran, CEO and co-founder.

Rens believes that launching again on Kickstarter offers its customers a new opportunity to give real-time feedback while also having a greener and superior purchasing experience as pledging before manufacturing drastically cuts down on the factory overrun, production waste and transportation emissions.

Backers of the Kickstarter campaign will be able to get their climate neutral Nomad Sneakers in nine colourways with a 'super early bird' price starting at $89 for the first eight hours, before moving to an early bird price of $109.

First and foremost, this sneaker is an environmental statement, designed to combat plastic pollution and food waste. So far, Rens has recycled over 250,000 plastic bottles and 750,000 cups of used coffee.

Son Chu, CMO, CTO, and co-founder of Rens said, “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.”

Rens’ partners are certified by recognised bodies such as GRS, FSC and RCS and audited according to a global standard such as SMETA.