In an environment-friendly move, a city-based company, that has been into shoe-making business for the last 25 years, have manufactured biodegradable shoes which are made of husks, sugarcane and eucalyptus.
The Managing Director of the company, Indreshwar Singh Paul explained the need and the concept behind the manufacturing of biodegradable shoes.
"We have been manufacturing shoes for the finest brands in the world for the last 25 years. These shoes will stay in the environment and degrade in 50-200 years. Our effort is to make shoes for environmentally-conscious people. These shoes would biodegrade much earlier than other shoes available in the market and will be less burden on the environment," Paul told .
"We have been working on the idea for the past two years to make shoes which are 100 per cent biodegradable. The biodegradable shoes have 82 per cent bio-content and made from plant-based sources such as eucalyptus, sugarcane etc. We are engaged in trials of the shoes so that they are comfortable to wear," he added.
Paul cited a large number of shoes being manufactured every year, which take a long time to biodegrade, as the genesis behind this idea. "The genesis of the idea was rooted in the huge magnitude of shoes being produced in the world which take years to biodegrade," he said.
"In the long run, 90 per cent of the raw materials will be bio-based. We are also working towards including adhesives to be water-based rather than being solvent-based. A film would be used to cover the sole of the shoe. This film would prevent biodegradation while the shoe is in use. Once it is ready to be disposed of, the film could be cut off by the user and disposed to the landfills," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )