Forward-thinking footwear maker Nuoceans recently received further funding to forward its business plans.
The eco-friendly brand, helmed by Hampshire’s Terence Chung, manufactures sandals using recycled flip-flops to create the soles. Two years ago, the firm secured a £10,000 loan that covered the expense of creating and producing the first product line, which sold out swiftly. It has now received a further £10,000 for another round of sandal stock and to fund its marketing plans. Chung has even become an ambassador for a start-up loan scheme created by the government.
Manufacturing business loans can serve several purposes, from buying inventory and promoting to acquiring equipment and larger premises, and are often instrumental in a company’s success.
Nuoceans’ business model involves waste and broken or discarded flip-flops being collected in South America and Southeast Asia, and their plastic being recycled into soles for brand-new sandals crafted in Spain. The plastic is sliced into small pieces before being flattened at high temperatures to make plastic sheets, that are then added to recycled cork to create the soles.
Chung got the idea for the vegan-approved products from his travels with friends in Thailand after leaving university. A group of students with a background in ecology and biology, they realised that discarded flip-flops were a serious environmental issue. Due to their poor quality and affordability many became damaged and discarded, polluting areas with plastic waste.
While Nuoceans are mostly sold in Europe, they do have an online shop and a stockist based in Brighton.
