Innovation

Nemital has come up with an innovative idea, where they handcraft footwear from the collection of waste tires and cut pieces. NEMI” means Chakra/Tire and “TAL” means Sole in Sanskrit. The company is situated in Pune and they provide handcraft comfortable and trendy footwear which is upcycled from tire scraps.

What happens to tires that have served their purpose? In a process known as pyrolysis, end-of-life tires are frequently subjected to thermochemical treatment at high temperatures in order to produce industrial oil and other materials. According to the Australian Tire Recyclers Association (ATRA), the technique creates hazardous gases and has been outlawed in certain developed countries. Tires that aren't pyrolyzed end up in enormous rubber graveyards, where they don't decompose and instead seep toxic chemicals into landfills or pose a fire threat.

Tires are non-biodegradable and flammable and they are getting added in landfills all over the world. Tire fires cause many skin and respiration issues. Environment and health of all living beings are affected as chemicals in the tires leach into the environment and pollute our soil and groundwater.

This is where Nemital plays their role in saving our environment by using these tires to make stylish footwear. To add to the comfort of their users they use waste cloth which provide a layer between the tires and the person's feet. This is a growing business and becoming more and more popular by the help of social media marketing and word of mouth.

Inspiration

Pooja Apte, the founder and director of BlinkGreen, completed her graduation in Pune, Maharashtra, India. BlinkGreen is the parent company under which the brand Nemital works which uses tyre scrap to make footwear. After completing her graduation in Electronics and Tele-Communications Engineering, she started working in a renowned company. She received diploma in Renewable Energy from The Energy Research Institute (TERI), Delhi. As she has always dreamt of working in the environmental sector, she started her research in upcycling and decided to start her own project in upcycling of tires and turning them in to beautiful footwear.

When she studied deeper in to scrapped automobile tires and the problems associated with their disposal, she saw a unique opportunity which will not only make profits but also will solve the long-standing problem of tire disposals.

During her market research she realized that India is beginning to understand the importance of a sustainable environment and carbon free industry. During the interview we got to understand the thought process of her company and the working strategies to market the product while generating the awareness of hazards of scrapped tires.

She also wanted to improve the working conditions of cobblers and footwear artisans by giving them the opportunity to earn a decent living. She realized her dream through hard work and made BlinkGreen a successful company in both the parameters of revenue generation and sustainable growth.

Overall impact

Until now Nemital has up cycled around 500 kgs of waste tires which means we have 500 kgs less waste in our landfills. Conventionally footwear soles are made of plastic or virgin rubber. Nemital has helped to reduce the use of the amount of plastic by replacing it with the scrap tire. So, they have helped to reduce the use of a large number of resources like oil and water which otherwise would have been consumed for manufacturing plastic.

Business benefit

Million tons of scrap tires are generated in the world annually. Tires cannot be decomposed easily, so they are nothing but a dangerous addition to our landfills. Pooja Badamikar began exploring the scrap tire business and strategies to reduce the accumulated waste after quitting her work at an IT firm. She discovered African villages employing tire trash to produce footwear during her investigation. This instilled in her a strong desire to create beautiful shoes, and she began her adventure to do so.

She began manufacturing shoes out of truck tire fragments not long after. With the help of a Lakei cobbler, she created two prototypes that she showed in 'Startup India.' Her ideas and research brought various business benefits that helped her reduce costs and operate her business in most sustainable way.

Social and environmental benefit

With rising levels of pollution and environmental degradation, it is only with the concerted efforts of aware individuals that a difference can be made.

Nemital has worked to promote environmental awareness in its own unique way. Every year, one billion tires are discarded annually and Pooja is now turning these scrap tires to make pretty footwear! These shoes come along with so many benefits like being environmentally friendly, durable, long lasting and inexpensive.

Nemital has main 3 goals.

1) Sustainability: they have never used leather or plastic in one of their footwear products.

2) Reuse: they reuse waste tires to handcraft footwear.

3) Slow fashion: Improved durability of upcycled footwear and maximizing the product lifecycle.

Until now Nemital has upcycled around 500kg of waste tires and made 1,500 pairs of shoes.

Interview

Pooja Apte Badamikar, Director