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Nuoceans

Case Study 15 October 2025

Founded straight out of university, Terence’s company upcycles discarded flip flops to create sustainable sandals

Region/Nation South East
Sector Sustainability
Programme Start Up Loans
Partner

Terence Chung, the 30-year-old founder of Nuoceans, which makes sustainable, upcycled footwear out of discarded flip flops.

The idea for Nuoceans started back in 2018 when Terence and two friends from university, started on a mission to create a business that would have a tangible impact

Terence Chung, founder of Nuoceans on a beach

on ecology and conservation. Their products use flip flops collected from beaches and oceans across the globe, turning them into the next generation of beach footwear.

The first Start Up Loan was for £5,000 in 2023 with support from GC Business Finance. Terence used the money to fund the creation and production of the first line of sandals, which soon sold out. Terence has received another £10,000 0f Start Up Loans finance since then, to pay for the next round of Nuoceans stock.

I have had a passion for biology and ecology for as long as I can remember. I pursued biology as a degree, and while studying was learning more and more about the most prominent challenges in ecology and sustainability. I wanted to build on the foundational knowledge I had, and create a business that would have a tangible, visible impact on the environment. Ocean waste is something the whole planet is trying to tackle, so we focused Nuoceans on that.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without the money from the Start Up Loans programme. I was able to secure funding without a trading history, which isn’t possible with other providers, and the interest rate was very appealing. We’ve now received a second Start Up Loan to build on the success we’ve had since selling out of our first stock round.

- Terence Chung Founder of Nuoceans

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