Innovation

Worldwide every year more than 35,000,000 pairs of shoes are discarded, while as per the recent report by WHO, 1.5 billion people are infected by diseases that could be prevented by wearing proper footwear. Greensole is a self-sustaining social venture which recycles discarded shoes to comfortable footwear, keeping them away from landfills and providing them to children in need.

Inspiration

As athletes, Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami ran hundreds of kilometres every year. They also ran through at least three to four pairs of sport shoes every year. The soles were in good condition but the shoe sides tore within months. The duo always wondered if they could find some use for the intact soles of these quality sport shoes. A bit of research led to the idea of refurbishing them into trendy slippers. That brainwave eventually spawned an eco-friendly enterprise that reuses shoe soles and is appropriately named Greensole.

Overall impact

Greensole has been able to create a profound impact throughout the country, by addressing the needs of the poor at large. They have been able to sensitize large groups about the difficulties faced by the lesser privileged sections of the society. They have made a humble start by providing footwear to 50,000 people in need across the villages of India and by the end of 2017, they will be able to provide footwear to more than 100,000 people in need, while restoring their dignity.

Business benefit

Greensole is a profit making organization. In August 2015, the company entered a collaboration with RAM Fashion Exports for their premises. In November 2016, Greensole expanded its business to a sustainable retail range. This has generated sufficient revenue that has helped the organization grow. It has also associated itself with online channel partners for the effective sale and distribution of the wide product range.

Social and environmental benefit

Clean Energy and Climate Action

Manufacturing a pair of shoes involves a total of assembling up to 65 discrete parts in 360 steps, which generates 30 lbs of emissions; equivalent to leaving a 100-watt bulb burning for a week. Recycling shoes cuts down on such emissions. Greensole works towards refurbishing discarded shoes with zero carbon footprint, which is a sustainable way forward where environmental impact is concerned.

Reduced Inequalities and Sustainable Communities

Greensole contributes to social good, by creating a self-sustaining infrastructure that facilitates the provision of the basic necessity of footwear to everyone, forever. It donates shoes to school children coming from families having average income below a certain level and is working towards reaching out to more such schools by running on-site surveys. Being a scaling entrepreneurial venture, it further provides many employment opportunities.

Interview

Ramesh Dhami, Director & Co-Founder - Greensole