By turning the plastic waste into shoes, an Indian startup is putting its fight against plastic garbage. “Thaely” claims that a single pair of its shoes is made from 12 bottles and 10 bags. Thaely is named after the word for plastic bags and the startup was launched in July 2021.

Ashay Bhave, the 23-year old founder claimed that the environment-first startup ships the shoes anywhere in the world for $110 and that the business is already profitable.

The plastic waste is sourced from “Triotap Technologies”, a waste removal company that hires ragpickers. The sneakers which is made from waste looks similar to conventional sneakers. Sourced from recycled plastic bottles, even the patterns that create the final pair of sneakers comes from rPET.

Hot water is used for cleaning the bags without any chemicals and then they are dried. Thaely creates “ThaelyTex”- a material made entirely from plastic bags and no chemicals using simple heating tech. A single pair of sneaker shoes is made from 10-12 bags.

For three different companies, Thaely’s factory employs 170 people-making shoes. Thaely makes 15,000 pairs of shoes every week. To create more ThaelyTex sheets, the company’s philosophy is to recycle everything.

Moreover, the box which is made from recycled paper comes embedded with seeds that may be sowed to grow a plant and make it a complete environmentally-conscious package.

The global sneaker industry is worth over $70 billion and it's challenging for any footwear initiative to find solid ground.