WHAT WE'RE MADE OF

  • OCEAN WASTE, REWORKED

    Our soles are made from recovered and upcycled ocean waste, primarily EVA foam commonly recognised as flip-flops and similar foam products – cleaned, shredded, and pressed into our signature soles.

    Because every recovered material stream is different, no two pairs are exactly alike. A small amount of non-toxic, water-based PU binder helps hold the sole together.

    Each pair is one of a kind – and the reason Nuoceans exists.

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  • COCONUT PALM-FIBRE

    Our Coco straps blend recycled materials with 52% plant-based palm fibre – reducing the need for virgin plastics while staying durable enough for everyday wear.

    It’s one of the first steps in our move towards more bio-based, lower-impact materials.

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  • VEGAN LEATHER

    Made from a blend of recycled pre-consumer materials and virgin polyester, giving existing materials a second life instead of creating new ones.

    Not perfect yet – but a step away from animal leather and unnecessary virgin materials. We’re actively working towards more natural, bio-based, and fully recycled alternatives.

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  • RECYCLED CORK

    Made from 80% recycled cork sourced from used bottle corks and production scraps and blended with natural latex for flexibility and durability.

    Finished with a soft foam layer on top for extra comfort underfoot.

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  • RECYCLED EVA

    Made from a blend of recycled pre-consumer materials sourced from the shoe industry and virgin components, helping keep usable material out of landfill while creating durable, reliable soles.

    Not perfect yet – but part of our ongoing move away from virgin plastics and towards more natural and higher recycled-content alternatives.

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  • RECYCLED CARDBOARD

    Our packaging is made from recycled cardboard produced in Spain, fully recyclable with paper and FSC-certified.

    Simple, recyclable, and made without unnecessary extras.



We are NUOCEANS. We never set out to build a sandal brand. We set out to solve a problem we couldn’t unsee: mountains of waste polluting coastlines and piling up in places that once felt untouched.

Flip-flops are one of the most popular shoes on the planet - cheap, cheerful… and nearly impossible to destroy. So instead of watching them accumulate, we asked a simple question:

What if the problem became the solution?

What if waste could become something worth wearing?

Our signature soles are made from collected ocean waste, primarily using the EVA foam fraction commonly recognised as flip-flops and similar foam products.

Ocean waste is messy.
So is recycling it.

The reality of ocean waste is messy. Materials mix long before they reach the shoreline – from discarded flip-flops to industrial foam scraps and other EVA-based products. Instead of simplifying that complexity, we believe in being transparent about it.

Our soles are made from collected ocean waste, mainly using EVA foam materials commonly recognised as flip-flops and similar foam products.

Because ocean waste is never perfectly separated, neither are the materials we recover. Instead of creating new materials, we work with what already exists – turning discarded foam waste into something wearable.

For us, recycling isn’t the final solution. It’s a way to recover existing materials, reduce new production, and prevent waste from being burned, dumped, or left in the ocean.

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    collecting, sorting, CLEAning

    Together with coastal clean-up communities in Southeast Asia, we help recover ocean waste before it is burned, dumped, or left in the environment.

    Among the collected waste streams, we separate the EVA foam fraction — commonly recognised as flip-flops and similar foam products — before cleaning and preparing the material for its next life.

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    SHREDDING

    The recovered EVA foam materials are shredded into small colourful flakes that form the signature base of our Nuo soles.

    Before pressing, the material goes through additional cleaning and sorting steps to prepare it for production.

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    PRESSING

    The shredded material is heat-pressed into unique layered sheets used in our soles.

    Because the waste stream naturally varies, every sheet develops different colour patterns – making each pair slightly one of a kind.