Manuel Calcáneo
Pablo Sanchez
Universidad de Monterrey
Blanca Camargo
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Renovare is a small business company that has taken an important role in helping the environment and saving the planet by recycling all kinds of PET plastic and transforming them into modern, innovative, and creative shoes.
This innovation consists on transforming PET plastic into modern, innovative, and creative shoes. "Before deciding that PET was going to be our material for the shoes we tried with a lot of materials like glue, sawdust, water adhesives, tree bark and others".
Also the innovation as Jorge told us is of "changing the paradigm of the normal shoe that use materials that harm the environment and having a product that use recyclable materials and is unique".
The company "tries to change the shoe in a way of helping the planet and searching for new methods and materials that doesn't harm the planet".
They have a patent for their shoe that was part of the process of trying to invent new ways of doing the ecologic shoe and their patent consist of a development they did with a Mexican company to bring the bottles to a non-woven material, resistant, breathable, manageable for consumers.
"Our raw material is inexhaustible since every day thousands of bottles of PET are discarded and in the future we are trying to introduce new lines of products with this material like jackets, bags, caps. Also our goal in the future is to make the soles, laces, eyes, and adornments also sustainable."
It all started when Jorge's purpose in life was to answer the question "why are we here in this world for?".
One day, Jorge was waiting for his father at work and went to one of the trucks his father had for work. He locked himself inside the car and when he turned on the AC he noticed a different smell, a really strong and ugly smell, so he was really curious to find out what was it until he asked his father and finally found out that the smell was the glue his father used for the shoes. After this happened Jorge's goal was to use glue that did not smell like that and also was not bad for the planet.
"The inspiration came, finally remembering those walks through the parks of years ago. In combination with my desire to excel, and the desire to give something back to the world, the memory of the idea of an 'ecological' shoe that had been presented to me and my father a few years ago began to give shape to an idea, which would become a plan".
Increase the percentage of PET that is recycled because currently there are 21 millions of PET bottles that are thrown away and only 30% are recycled.
60% less emissions of CO2 than common shoes.
Common shoes take 500 to 1000 years to degrade; Renovare shoes take only 10 years to degrade.
The shoes have an impact in society in the culture of recycle and the use of materials and we "promote conscience in society that we have to use renewable energies, protect our planet and work for a green future in which we can live in this planet without destroying our resources and having a balance with nature of not abuse of it".
One of the many advantages Renovare has is that it is located in Leon, Guanajuato, the most important, the most popular and the biggest in the shoe industry in Mexico.
Other benefit is that many shoes companies don't innovate a lot and don't have a competitive advantage like Renovare does and they have a patent that demonstrate their innovation. "Being different for us is one of our competitive advantages because we are giving something different with a product that use recycled materials",
Because of their competitive advantages they had the opportunity of attending the biggest fashion event in the world IFF MAgic Japan, in Tokyo, Japan. Many artists promote their products because of their innovation and because they see in this shoes a new way of helping the planet.
"We are not in the market for getting a lot of money, our reason of existing is to make a difference in the world and teach the world that we have to care and protect our world".
One of the society benefits that Jorge mentioned is that "an ecologic shoe can save your life". How is that possible? These days a lot of plastic is thrown away in oceans, lakes and animals from these places consume it. Many different studios have proved that there is a percentage of plastic in human bodies.
Environmental benefit is that it takes only 10 years for one pair of shoes to degrade, this is 490 years less than common shoes. "One of the environmental benefits that as a company we have is that we bring a message to society of protecting our biodiversity, reduce pollution and abuse of land, oceans, air and to use renewable energy and foment a ecologic culture".
The company, as the CEO told us, is trying to leave "a legacy to the world that we have to protect our planet because is our only home and is the work of all to save our planet for future generations".
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Jorge Castro, CEO
