Background Research

Current Scenarios

Positive Scenarios

We believe in the phenomenon of minimum wastage, so instead of melting the shoes like many other shoe manufacturers, we refurbish them so there is minimal carbon emission. Shriyans added that up to now, we have saved around 25,000 tons of carbon emissions.

I used to discard at least three pairs of shoes every year and every time I was left with a bundle of questions regarding managing this type of waste – what happens to this waste, where does it go after I have disposed of it in my dustbin? After months of brainstorming later I found that this waste is reaching our already over-filled landfills and is just adding to India’s waste woes. That’s when I decided to act upon it and GreenSole was born, says Shriyans Bhandari who did his Master’s in entrepreneurship from the US before setting up GreenSole. 

Negative Scenarios

Only 50% of discarded footwear is effectively recycled, highlighting a significant gap in sustainable waste management practices.

Currently, leather is removed from discarded footwear for reuse, while the remaining parts are burned to bake bricks, creating pollution concerns.

Currently, discarded footwear ends up in landfills, where it remains for years until it eventually decomposes, contributing to landfill waste.