Focus: Consumer Goods
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Landfills are overflowing in Indonesia, where there is little waste management infrastructure. In Bali, motorbikes are the main mode of transportation. These bikes are everywhere, and so are their tires. Every year tons of old tires are dumped into Bali’s overcrowded landfills. To help solve this environmental problem, one company has combined fashion and social entrepreneurship.
Indosole is a certified B corporation that collects old tires directly from landfills and turns them into stylish sandals and shoes. Kyle Parsons founded the company in 2010 after he visited Bali and saw people were already making sandals with repurposed tires. He liked the idea, but wanted to make the sandals more comfortable and fashionable. In addition to having great design, these sandals are also the most environmentally sustainable footwear around. All of Indosole’s shoes are made by hand in Bali with reused, recycled, and sustainable materials. There is no machinery and no chemical processing to produce harmful emissions.
To date, Indosole has rescued almost 250,000 tires from Bali’s landfills. In addition, Indosole is a social enterprise and is dedicated to providing a safe, dignified workplace to people in Bali, where they are guaranteed a living wage. Do you know what your shoes are made of, or where they came from?
Environmental impact: Reduced landfills
Measurement: Indosole
Sources: Inhabitat, Huntington Post, Indosole, B Corporation
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