Cartago Café is an innovative sandal by Grendene that turns used coffee grounds into pigment – adding aroma, texture and colour to a PVC-based product. Developed with coffee grounds from an in-house cafeteria, the design replaces synthetic pigments and reduces fossil-based inputs. With 30% recycled sole content and renewable BIOVYN® resin, it cuts carbon emissions by 23%. Each month the cafeteria generates approximately 500 kg of coffee grounds and sends them to a lab for oven drying. They’re then incorporated during the PVC compound preparation stage through the dry-blend process, prior to extrusion.
Awards 2025