Memital - Eco-friendly footwear from Tyre scrap | Fusion - WeRIndia

Nothing is wasted in this world if you can use it wisely and effectively. Tyre scrap has been growing in the country due to lack of a comprehensive plan. At the same time, awareness of eco-friendly products is also growing among consumers.

Considering both aspects, this woman came up with an innovative solution. Pooja Apte Badamikar from Pune designs footwear from discarded tyres.

Pooja worked with Capgemini for four years before enrolling for an MBA in renewable energy. However, she left her job and decided to start her own business. She wanted to produce an eco-friendly product which is durable and attractive.

She researched a lot on tyre scrap and knew that they cause air pollution if they are not upcycled properly. Besides, the upcycling process is also expensive. In this context, she wanted to upcycle tyres to help the environment.

In her research, she also came to know that people in the past used aeroplane tyres to increase the durability of the footwear.

Then she started BlinkGreen to sell her own brand of footwear Memital. The sole of Memital footwear is made from tyres and the remaining part is handcrafted with colourful cloths. She has partnered with some tailors to stitch these clothes and cobblers to handcraft the footwear.

Pooja sources truck tyre scrap from an elderly ragpicker in Pune for her footwear brand.

She participated at Startup Yatra and won the Upcoming Woman Entrepreneur award along with a cash prize of ₹50,000.

Memital footwear is priced between ₹500 and ₹600. You have to pay an additional amount of ₹150 for shipping charges across the country except Maharashtra. However, people from Maharashtra can get delivered by just paying ₹80 for shipping.  One can place orders on their Facebook page or Instagram.

Image Credit: Pooja Apte on Twitter

Image Reference: https://twitter.com/Power_Pooja/status/1103947124608098305