NuOceans
NuOceans is a Belgian direct-to-consumer sustainable footwear company that designs and sells vegan sandals made from recycled ocean-recovered flip-flops, serving eco-conscious consumers across nine European countries via e-commerce and select boutique retail partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What NuOceans does
NuOceans SRL is a privately held Belgian direct-to-consumer footwear company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Brussels (Auderghem) that manufactures and sells vegan sandals produced from recycled ocean waste. The company's core technology is a mechanical process that shreds discarded flip-flops recovered from the ocean and presses the resulting EVA foam into multicolored plates used as midsoles in its footwear; each pair contains approximately 300 grams of recovered ocean waste EVA, combined with recycled cork footbeds, recycled EVA outsoles, and either vegan leather (recycled PVC/polyester) or bio-based palm fibre straps. Manufacturing is conducted in Spain under EU standards, and products are marketed as fully recyclable and unisex.
The business model is a hybrid DTC-plus-select-retail operation: revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time product sales via a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront priced at €85–€100 per pair, with free shipping over €50, gift cards in multiple denominations, and accessory items (socks). The company ships to nine European countries — Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom — and operates localized content in English, French, German, and Spanish. Distribution is supplemented by ~10 named boutique and eco-retail partners including Blue Tomato (Austria), Eden Project (UK), SALON loves you (Germany), and several Belgian eco-fashion stores, plus a logistics partnership with Bleckmann for returns processing.
NuOceans is led by three Managing Directors — Valentina Slama, Hadrien Lejeune, and Terence Chung — and operates with a small team of 1–10 employees. The company is independently held with no disclosed external funding, investors, parent entity, or acquisitions. As of latest reporting, it has recovered over 8 tonnes of discarded flip-flops (~53,000 pairs) from the ocean, has been featured in BBC, RTBF, and The Brussels Times, and continues to extend its product portfolio with new silhouettes (clogs, platforms, backstraps) and material variants (palm fibre) under its "Nuos" brand.
NuOceans firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NuOceans
- Legal name
- Nuoceans SRL
- Website
- https://nuoceans.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- NuOceans is a Belgian direct-to-consumer sustainable footwear company that designs and sells vegan sandals made from recycled ocean-recovered flip-flops, serving eco-conscious consumers across nine European countries via e-commerce and select boutique retail partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NuOceans industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Vegan Footwear
- NAICS
- Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (31699)
- SIC
- Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vegan/Alternative Material Goods Manufacturing (PU/Plant-based/Mycelium) (IMAOAHAH)
Keywords
Where NuOceans is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
NuOceans business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales: NuOceans generates revenue through direct-to-consumer sales of recycled vegan sandals and accessories via its e-commerce storefront and retail partnerships. Products are sold at fixed price points with free shipping threshold and occasional periodic discounts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard pricing across all sandal styles |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Gift cards |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
NuOceans product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NuOceans designs, manufactures, and sells a vegan sandal line ("Nuos") whose midsoles are made from mechanically shredded, ocean-recovered flip-flops (about 300g per pair), combined with recycled cork footbeds, recycled EVA outsoles, and vegan leather or bio-based palm-fibre straps. The product family spans standard, platform, backstrap and clog silhouettes, sold direct-to-consumer across Europe and via selected eco-boutique retail partners.
Product overview
NuOceans is a direct-to-consumer sustainable footwear brand offering a single unified product line called 'Nuos' — vegan sandals made from recovered ocean waste flip-flops. The Nuos line is sold across four sub-product styles: standard sandals, platform sandals, backstrap sandals, and clogs, all sharing the same core construction (300g of ocean waste EVA foam per pair, recycled cork footbed with natural latex foam, recycled EVA outsole, and vegan leather straps or palm fibre straps). Products are marketed under aunisex, gender-neutral model. Accessories include socks and e-gift cards. The entire portfolio is sold exclusively online and through select retail partners in Europe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Nuos Standard Sandals The flagship unisex vegan sandal made from approximately 300g of recovered ocean waste flip-flops, a recycled cork footbed, recycled EVA outsole, and adjustable vegan leather straps. Sold in multiple colourways and priced €85–€90.
- Nuo Platform Sandals Elevated platform versions of the flagship sandal, constructed from the same recycled ocean waste EVA midsoles, cork footbeds, and vegan straps, offering a higher-sole silhouette priced €95–€100.
- Nuo Backstrap Sandals Sandals with an additional backstrap for enhanced fit and support, built from the same recycled ocean waste midsoles, cork footbeds, and vegan leather straps as the standard Nuos line.
- Nuo Clogs Sustainable vegan clogs made with recovered ocean waste flip-flops, recycled cork, recycled EVA, and vegan leather or bio-based palm-fibre straps.
- COCO Palm-Fibre Sandal A Nuos sandal variant featuring bio-based palm-fibre straps instead of recycled PVC/polyester vegan leather, retaining the recycled ocean waste EVA midsoles and cork footbed construction. Priced at €95.
- Nuoceans Socks Accessory socks sold alongside the NuOceans footwear collection to complement the sustainable sandal assortment.
- Nuoceans E-Gift Card Digital e-gift cards in multiple denominations that allow recipients to redeem them against the NuOceans product catalogue.
Quantifiable outcome
- 8 tonnes of ocean waste recovered (approximately 53,000 flip-flops)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use NuOceans
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NuOceans technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
NuOceans partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Blue TomatocoreBlue Tomato is an Austrian retail partner carrying NuOceans products in their stores including Vienna (Rotenturmstraße and Neubaugasse), Salzburg (Europark), and Innsbruck locations.
- WienzwölfminorAustrian boutique retailer in Klagenfurt, Kärnten at Alter Pl. 14, 9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee.
- Algo StoreminorNamur-based retailer at Rue des Carmes 57, 5000 Namur.
- Atome boutique éco responsableminorEco-responsible boutique in Ath, Belgium at 9 Quai Saint-Jacques, 7800 Ath.
- EvetraminorIxelles-based retailer at Av. Adolphe Buyl 90, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium.
- ONE SUCHminorLiège-based retailer at Pass. Lemonnier 36, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
- YCCA - Mode responsableminorResponsible fashion retailer at Rue de l'Amazone 18, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium.
- 128 rue blaesminorBrussels retailer at 128 Rue Blaes, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium.
- SALON loves youminorHannover-based boutique at Lindener Marktplatz 12, 30449 Hannover, Germany, with Regensburg location.
- Eden ProjectcoreCornwall-based visitor attraction and environmental education center at Bodelva, Par PL24 2SG, United Kingdom, stocks NuOceans sandals.
- BleckmanncoreLogistics and returns management partner handling customer exchanges and returns through their online portal for NuOceans.
- Seaqual InitiativeminorMarine plastic initiative that works with ocean cleanups worldwide to bring value to collected waste and transform it into sustainable materials. NuOceans is mentioned alongside Seaqual as part of the ocean cleanup ecosystem.
- Ocean SoleminorNon-profit organization that cleans polluted beaches and provides income to artisans by transforming discarded flip-flops into art and functional products. Mentioned as a similar initiative to NuOceans.
- The Ocean CleanupminorNon-profit organization developing technologies to eliminate plastic from oceans through river interception and ocean cleanup. Mentioned as part of the ocean conservation ecosystem.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
NuOceans competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cariuma: Brazilian-origin sustainable sneaker brand with eco-materials and tree-planting impact claims. Comparable on premium sustainable casual footwear DTC model and impact-led marketing.
- Thousand Fell: Sustainable sneaker brand with a take-back and circularity programme. Directly comparable on the recyclable / circular-economy positioning that NuOceans emphasises.
- Veja: French DTC sneaker brand built on ethically sourced and recycled materials (organic cotton, wild rubber, recycled plastics). Direct competitor in the premium sustainable footwear category targeting the same eco-conscious European consumer.
- Rothy's: US DTC brand turning recycled plastic water bottles into woven footwear. Same recycled-material-from-marine-waste narrative turned into a scaled consumer brand, providing a credible scale-up reference for NuOceans.
- SAOLA: French premium sustainable footwear brand using recycled PET, algae foam, and natural materials. Same European DTC + selected-retail GTM motion and similar price-point band as NuOceans.
- Native Shoes: Canadian brand known for its sugarcane-derived EVA-based casual footwear including sandals and slides. Closest functional competitor on material innovation (plant-based EVA) and on sandal/slide product format.
- TOMS: US impact-led footwear brand with one-for-one giving model. Comparable on mission-driven brand storytelling, premium DTC positioning, and sandals/alpargata product format overlap with NuOceans.
- Allbirds: US/NZ sustainable footwear brand using natural materials (wool, eucalyptus, sugarcane foam) with a strong carbon-footprint-led value proposition. Direct overlap on premium pricing, sustainability storytelling, and DTC-first go-to-market.
- Ocean Sole: Kenyan social enterprise that recovers discarded flip-flops from beaches and upcycles them into art, figurines, and footwear. Closest conceptual peer to NuOceans — same waste stream, same upcycling mechanism, different end-product format and geography.
Broad incumbents
- Adidas (Parley for the Oceans line): Global incumbent with a specific Parley collaboration line made from ocean plastic. Operates at vastly greater scale and competes for the eco-conscious consumer's footwear wallet, particularly through retail doors and sponsorships NuOceans cannot match.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
NuOceans social profiles
Digital presenceNuOceans financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NuOceans leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
NuOceans funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NuOceans M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NuOceans
What does NuOceans do?
NuOceans designs, manufactures, and sells a vegan sandal line ("Nuos") whose midsoles are made from mechanically shredded, ocean-recovered flip-flops (about 300g per pair), combined with recycled cork footbeds, recycled EVA outsoles, and vegan leather or bio-based palm-fibre straps. The product family spans standard, platform, backstrap and clog silhouettes, sold direct-to-consumer across Europe and via selected eco-boutique retail partners.
Is NuOceans a public or private company?
NuOceans is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was NuOceans founded?
NuOceans was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is NuOceans based?
NuOceans is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does NuOceans make money?
One revenue line is on record: direct Product Sales.
Who are NuOceans's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cariuma, Thousand Fell, Veja, Rothy's, SAOLA, Native Shoes, TOMS, Allbirds and Ocean Sole. Adidas (Parley for the Oceans line) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does NuOceans have an API?
No public API is recorded for NuOceans.
What industry is NuOceans in?
NuOceans's product category is Sustainable Vegan Footwear. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAOAHAH, Vegan/Alternative Material Goods Manufacturing (PU/Plant-based/Mycelium). Its NAICS code is 31699 and its SIC code is 3140.