Converting plastic bags into sneakers: this is the revolutionary idea of a young Indian, founder of the startup Thaely
Ashay Bhave is only 23 years old, but she had a brilliant and very useful intuition for the environment, that of transforming plastic bags in comfortable sneakers. And last July his idea became a reality, or rather a successful startup, with a very specific name: Thaely, which in Hindi means "plastic bag".
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Read also: It is not leather! This Indian startup turns coconut water into an innovative fabric you might even eat
The story of the Indian startup
It all started as a simple experiment to find a solution to the problem of the 100 billion plastic bags produced every year in the world, which end up threatening marine ecosystems. Ashay began working on the revolutionary fabric, renamed ThaelyTex in 2017. To test the material, which feels almost leather to the touch, a prototype was created with the involvement of a Mumbai shoemaker.
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The shoes produced (100% vegan) were promoted with flying colors and many thought that they were traditional leather sneakers. So, in 2019 Ashay decided to present her prototype to a startup contest organized by Amity University Dubai, obtaining the first place. Thanks to this unexpected victory, the project obtained important funding and for the young man from Mumbai it was possible to create a second prototype, developed in Dubai, whose design was inspired by the classic basketball sneakers of the early 2000s.
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ThaelyTex, a revolutionary material that looks like leather (but isn't)
But how exactly are Thaely sneakers made? For the uppers the ThaelyTex, a fabric created entirely from the recycling of plastic bags, supplied by TrioTap Technologies, an Indian company that deals with waste management. The big news also lies in the fact that the production process does not require additional chemicals and does not release any. About ten plastic bags are needed for each sneaker produced.
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As for the sole, however, only recycled rubber is used, coming from other shoes, tires and other industrial waste. Finally, the laces and lining are made withrPET (polyethylene terephthalate), a material made from recycled plastic bottles. For every sneaker made they are necessary 12 bottles.
But it doesn't stop there, even the ThaelyTex shoe boxes are environmentally friendly: they contain gods basil seeds which can be planted, while writings and drawings are made with coffee grounds.
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What to say? A beautiful model of circular economy and sustainable fashion! Chapeau to young Ashay!
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Fonte: Thaely
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