Page 38 - NIS English February1-15

Positive Approach Changing India

ENSURING SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT

Upcycled tyre scrap to make fashionable, eco-friendly, sustainable
and durable footwear for men and women and saving trees by
various means are not only India’s but people’s commitment towards

generating employment and saving ecology
TURNING WASTE INTO BEST FOOTWEAR SAVING TREES TO SAVE ENVIRONMENT

he journey of a former IT professional — Pooja ith India being the top performer in
TBadamikar — that started with discarded tyres Wcombating climate change and being on
and two cobblers has now turned into a full-blown track to achieve targets set under the Paris
business enterprise. The winner of Startup India’s Agreement, its citizens too are living up to the
Upcoming Women Entrepreneur award, she expectations of the Government. In one such
started researching on scrap tyre business after initiative, a group called ‘Bengaluru Hudduguru’
quitting her job in a multinational IT company. Now roams around Bengaluru to remove nails
she is not only contributing her bit to environment from trees to save them. The group works on
protection but has also set an example of self- weekends. Piercing nails is extremely harmful
reliance with her Startup. She is producing eco- for the trees and the environment. This group
friendly shoes. Badamikar uses scrap tyres to is helping to restore the beauty of the city by
make footwear. She said, “One Billion scrap contributing in conservation and protection
tyres are discarded annually in the world. I of the trees. One of the group members Kriti
started working with the help of local cobblers Joshi narrates that once a nail pierced her
and made two-three prototypes. That’s how the foot but she ignored it, and later she had to
journey began.” Conventionally, virgin rubber or get operated thrice for this. From there she got
plastic material is used as sole for footwear but the idea that if it becomes poisonous to the
it is replaced with upcycled tyre that is helping human body, it must also be harming the trees.
to reduce landfills; reducing material like plastic Hence, this initiative. They have successfully
to come to market; and reducing the use of oil removed even a kilogram of nails from a single
and water which is consumed for manufacturing tree. In view of Hudduguru team’s effort, the
plastic or virgin rubber. Upcycling is the key to the Bengaluru Municipal Corporation decided to
new world. And Badamikar proved the same by punish those who were found piercings nails
creating successful business on this model. in the trees.

36 New India Samachar