Thaely, a shoe brand based in India, has produced sneakers sourced from waste materials.
The company, named after a Hindi word that means “plastic”, was launched in July by Ashay Bhave with a mission of reducing the amount of plastic waste being dumped every year.
According to Thaely, a pair of its shoes is made from 10 plastic bags and 12 bottles. The start-up has teamed up with Triotap Technologies – a company specialising in waste management to convert the garbage into new-looking sneakers.
All parts of the shoes are made from recycled materials. Thaely collects plastic bags from homes and offices and converts them into a fabric called ThaelyTex, which contains no chemicals and is used to make the tops of the shoes.
It took two years to develop the fabric and after much testing has the same level of quality and durability as traditional leather. After creating the fabric, Bhave launched Thaely after winning funding during a startup pitch competition in 2019.
The shoes are a combination of ThaelyTex and rPET fabric, the latter sourced from recycled plastic bottles. They are stuck together using by 100-per-cent vegan glue and the laces are also made from recycled plastic.
The company also applies its sustainability focus to its packaging, using tote bags made from plastic bottles and a shoebox made from recycled paper with seeds blended into it, that can be planted instead of discarded to grow trees.
Priced at $110, the sneakers can be bought online for shipping worldwide.
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