Sneakerheads Jesse Tran and Son Chu are working to help the environment one shoe at a time.
In 2017, the pair found themselves discussing their shared passion for sneakers, eventually delving into the harsh but real impact of the sneaker industry on the global environment. "The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry," Tran, the company's co-founder and CEO, told Cheddar. "We want to change that."
The pair assembled a group of like-minded individuals to produce a vision: a sneaker that was fashionable, yet eco-friendly. Now Rens Original is trying to prove that sustainability doesn't have to be boring.
Rens co-founder and CTO Son Chu said the pair found a hole in the market where fashionable and sustainable shoes intersect. "Sustainable shoes, sustainable apparels were there, but they're not cool for the young generation." So they decided Rens should "be the first in the world that dominates that market.'
Rens Original, dubbed the world's first coffee sneakers, is crafted from coffee grounds and recycled polyester. While using discarded coffee grounds is environmentally friendly, they also have additional qualities that make them useful sneaker material.
"The coffee material actually has really great functions like anti-odor and anti-bacteria for a long time," according to Tran.
The slip-on shoe, which is waterproof, comes in nine different colors, designed with the company's signature hashtag logo on the base of the shoe. Why the hashtag?
"The way we see it, people use hashtags to start a movement or join a great movement. It's a symbol of a community," said Chu.
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
William Falcon, CEO and Founder of Lightning AI, discusses the ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and how everyday people can use AI in their lives.
U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger toug
The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down the agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. Russell Vought is the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought directed the CFPB in a Saturday night email to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama created it following the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
Jeff Benedict, author of 'The Dynasty,' weighs in on the Kansas City Chiefs being the next big dynasty, who he thinks will win Super Bowl LIX and more. Watch!
