SCIENTISTS recognize that while coffee grounds seem harmless, when in the landfill they actually release methane gas, which has a greenhouse effect 28 times higher than carbon dioxide. With this in mind, sustainable shoe brand Ccilu has developed a line of waterproof boots, called XpreSole Panto, made with recycled coffee grounds and other eco-friendly materials. In a promotional video, the company says, “Twenty billion kilograms of coffee waste are produced every year, but only 4 percent of this waste is properly recycled. We collected used coffee grounds from local coffee shops and transformed them into XpreSole Panto boots to reduce landfill. We are Ccilu, a Japanese footwear brand known for creating technologies focusing on lightweight, stylish, comfortable and sustainable footwear products.” The company also said the coffee grounds are collected and dehumidified, before being turned into pellets using proprietary patented technology. Some of those are converted into thin yarns that are woven to create fabrics, while the remaining pellets are added as additives in a unique injection molding process to create the outsole and shell. The XpreSole Panto comes with a slick contemporary design and a pretty impressive list of features. The boots are waterproof, dirt-proof, breathable, lightweight, machine-washable, have high traction and are sustainably made by recycling coffee grounds from as much as 15 cups of coffee per pair of boots. If that wasn’t enough, the XpreSole Panto also went on to win the Red Dot Best of Best, the iF Design Award and the A’ Design Award this year. What’s rather remarkable about the XpreSole Panto is that it successfully manages to use coffee in almost every part of the shoe, barring probably just the laces. On the inside, an insole made from coffee yarn and flexible Ortholite foam gives you the comfort you need, while still remaining rather breathable so you don’t work up a sweat after wearing the shoes all day. As your foot rests on the insole, it’s also surrounded by the XpreSole Panto’s inner lining, which is made from an anti-odor, anti-microbial, moisture-wicking coffee-infused fabric, woven together with Lycra and Neoprene for that four-way stretch. The outer body of the XpreSole Panto uses a 30:70 blend of recycled coffee grounds and Eco EVA, along with the outsole or the base of the shoe that additionally uses rubber pads for enhanced friction. Finally, the XpreSole Panto’s laces build on the footwear’s sustainable ethos by using 100 percent recycled PET bottles.(SD-Agencies) | 