Two friends who bonded over running couldn’t have imagined that their simple idea would snowball into a big business that would not only benefit a large number of people but also will be good for the environment.

Ramesh Dhami and Shriyans Bhandari trained under a common coach. Hardcore running would wear out their shoes very fast and they had to discard their shoes every few months. Ramesh who came from a less privileged family didn’t wear footwear for most part of his life. One day, finding that the soles of the worn-out shoes are in good condition he fixed rubber trips to it and transformed them into slippers.

Every year about 35 crore pairs of shoes are discarded globally adding to a landfill; while according to the World Health Organization, about 1.5 billion people go shoeless and pick up soil-transmitted infections. When Bhandari saw his friend recycle a discarded shoe into a usable slipper, an idea clicked in his mind.

After a few brainstorming sessions, the two friends came up with the technology and skill to refurbish discarded shoes which they then donated to the needy. In a month, they were selected among the top 30 innovators by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad. They also won many other design and sustainability competitions including the IIT-Bombay Eureka competition.

They won a few lakhs in prize money with which they registered their company GreenSole and bagged their first order from real estate firm JLL as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR). Then, there was no looking back. They secured many more orders and now they upcycle about 70,000 shoes every year.

Thus the duo who had zero experience in the footwear industry is now sought by organizations for their excellent product that provides environmental, social and economic benefits.

Image Source: Entrepreneur