GreenSole Success Story - How an Eco-Friendly Footwear Startup Is Making a Sustainable Difference

Jeenal Jain

Feb 21, 2023 — 7 min read

Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by GreenSole.

Recycling and sustainable manufacturing are critical components of an environmentally conscious society. Recycling helps to conserve natural resources and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, while sustainable manufacturing ensures that goods are produced in an environmentally friendly way. When combined, these practices can significantly reduce the environmental impact of the products we consume.

One startup that is making a significant impact in this field is GreenSole, founded by Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami. Their unique vision is to recycle old shoes and convert them into usable, high-quality products. By doing so, GreenSole not only helps to reduce waste but also provides an affordable and sustainable solution for footwear. The company's innovative approach to recycling has garnered widespread attention and praise, and its efforts are contributing to a more sustainable future for all.

In this article, learn more about GreenSole's business and revenue model, startup story, founders, and more.

GreenSole - Company Highlights

Startup Name	GreenSole
Headquarters	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Sector	Footwear, Recycling, Manufacturing
Founder	Shriyans Bhandari, Ramesh Dhami
Founded	2015
Website	greensole.com

GreenSole - About
GreenSole - Industry
GreenSole - Founders
GreenSole - Startup Story
GreenSole - Mission and Vision
GreenSole - Name, Tagline, and Logo
GreenSole - Business Model and Revenue Model
GreenSole - Challenges Faced
GreenSole - Advertisements and Social Media Campaigns
GreenSole - Achievements and Recognition
GreenSole - Competitors
GreenSole - Future Plans

GreenSole - About

GreenSole is a unique startup that is making a significant impact in the field of social and environmental innovation by working in the area of sustainable footwear manufacturing and recycling.

The company refurbishes discarded sports shoes into comfortable footwear and provides them to those in need, protecting them from the diseases caused by unprotected feet. With its innovative approach, GreenSole tackles the environmental issue of reducing waste with its zero carbon footprint refurbishing process.

GreenSole - Industry

GreenSole operates within the footwear industry, which is a massive global market expected to reach $320.44 billion by 2023. The industry has been historically associated with heavy environmental impact due to the high consumption of raw materials and energy during the production process. GreenSole's focus on sustainable manufacturing and recycling has the potential to make a significant impact in reducing the industry's overall environmental impact.

As GreenSole continues to grow, the company has the potential to expand its operations and impact. It has already provided refurbished footwear to thousands of individuals in need and has plans to expand its reach even further. With its commitment to sustainability, innovation, and social impact, GreenSole is well-positioned to continue making a difference in the footwear industry.

GreenSole - Founders

Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami are the founders of GreenSole.

Shriyans Bhandari

Shriyans Bhandari, an accomplished entrepreneur, and social innovator is the CEO and co-founder of GreenSole. He is also the Director of Heritage Girls School. Shriyans holds a Bachelor's degree in Management Studies from Jai Hind College in Mumbai, India, and has also done MSM Entrepreneurial Leadership from Babson College in Massachusetts, USA.

Ramesh Dhami

Ramesh Dhami is the Director and co-founder of GreenSole. At GreenSole, he is responsible for handling the donation drives and village data collection. Ramesh has also designed the first prototypes of GreenSole footwear.

GreenSole - Startup Story

GreenSole is a startup initiated by two athletes, Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami. The idea of sustainable footwear emerged when they observed the wastage of money and resources through dumping used and expensive shoes. The duo used to run hundreds of kilometers each year and often went through multiple pairs of sports shoes annually. However, they noticed that while the soles were still in good condition, the sides of the shoes would tear within a few months.

This made them curious if there was a way to repurpose the high-quality shoe soles that were still usable. After conducting some research, they came up with the idea to transform them into stylish slippers. They started to develop prototypes, then got CSR funding and stepped into the retail market, which gave birth to an eco-friendly business called GreenSole.

This was just a project of 19-year-old teenagers to provide a long-lasting solution for the environment, but as time passed, the idea gained popularity among Gen Z and Millennials, and now they have reached an established organization position.

GreenSole - Mission and Vision

GreenSole's vision statement says, "To contribute to social good, by creating a self-sustaining infrastructure that facilitates the provision of the basic necessity of footwear to everyone, forever, environmental good, by refurbishing discarded shoes with zero carbon footprint and economic good by giving employment to refurbish shoes."

The mission of GreenSole is-
"To upcycle and donate a million pairs to children in need while creating employment opportunities for women in rural areas. Supporting our three pillars of change: social, environmental, and economic."

GreenSole - Name, Tagline, and Logo

GreenSole Logo

GreenSole's tagline is "Step towards sustainability" - promote sustainability to encourage people to step up for eco-friendly solutions by buying a pair of sustainable footwear or donating and becoming nature saviors through associating with us.

Speaking about the story behind the name GreenSole, in the initial days, the team named the brand 'Kadam by Kadam' but then a professional agency helped them and came up with the idea of "GreenSole". This name not only depicts the essence of the brand but is also reachable all over the globe. And the tagline shares the same story.

GreenSole - Business Model and Revenue Model

The business model of GreenSole is based on a circular economy approach, where waste is converted into a valuable resource.

GreenSole's revenue model is based on two primary sources:

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) partnerships: GreenSole partners with various corporates and organizations to collect their discarded shoes and transform them into comfortable footwear for underprivileged communities. The company charges a fee for collecting, cleaning, repairing, and delivering the shoes to the beneficiaries.
Direct-to-consumer sales: GreenSole also sells its upcycled shoes directly to consumers through its website and other online marketplaces. Customers can buy the shoes for themselves or donate them to a chosen NGO or social cause. The revenue generated from these sales is reinvested back into the company's operations and social impact initiatives.

GreenSole offers vegan and sustainable solutions in footwear and clothing that customers can buy online through e-commerce platforms, which is not just an eco-friendly gesture but also very convenient to adopt.

The startup also donates a part of its revenue toward establishing skill centers and providing footwear for underprivileged children. As GreenSole is also into recycling and CSR, where companies have to discard their wastes from the production of footwear and apparel, it recycles that waste, converts it into usable articles, and donates them. So, these are the essential products and practices of GreenSole.

GreenSole - Challenges Faced

"The most challenging phase was entering the industry itself as we had no prior experience in entrepreneurship manufacturing footwear. So, precisely learning how to produce a pair of sustainable footwear and the whole process of recycling and donating was our key challenge" says Shriyans.

GreenSole - Advertisements and Social Media Campaigns

GreenSole #DonatingWalks

From the very beginning, GreenSole's idea of sustainability grabbed the attention of this new generation and the startup managed to gather the crowd easily.

Its most successful campaign was #Donatingwalks. The campaign was an initiative launched by Greensole to encourage people to donate their old shoes. The idea behind the campaign was to collect shoes that were no longer being used, refurbish them, and donate them to underprivileged individuals in need of footwear. The campaign aimed to promote sustainability by reducing waste and promoting responsible consumption while also making a positive impact on the lives of those who received the donated shoes.

Greensole actively promoted the campaign on its website and social media pages and partnered with other organizations to increase its reach and impact. The campaign received a lot of attention on social media platforms, with many individuals and organizations supporting the cause and spreading awareness about the importance of sustainability and responsible consumption.

GreenSole - Achievements and Recognition

GreenSole started its first skill center in 2018 in collaboration with TATA Steel and Lion's Club Noamundi.
GreenSole footwear has been showcased twice on the runway of Lakme Fashion Week.
GreenSole has been awarded Lexus India Design Award 2017 and social entrepreneur of the year 2018 by Franchise India and Economic Times.
The founders were featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 - Asia - Social Entrepreneurs (2018).

GreenSole - Competitors

Some of the competitors of GreenSole are:

Paaduks
Atoms
Neeman

GreenSole - Future Plans

Greensole has plans to expand its business by collaborating with mainstream footwear and apparel brands to scale up the refurbishing of old shoes and soles. The company aims to increase its brand presence among its target audience and offer more sustainable footwear options. In addition, Greensole is focused on developing innovative technology to create biodegradable footwear, with the aim of reducing wastage.

“We’re also looking to get more and more corporate companies to collaborate with and push them to donate close to a million pairs of shoes,” says Shriyans.

Overall, the company's future plans involve growing its sustainability efforts and developing new solutions to combat environmental issues.

GreenSole - FAQs

What is GreenSole?

GreenSole is a unique startup that is making a significant impact in the field of social and environmental innovation by working in the area of sustainable footwear manufacturing and recycling.

Who founded GreenSole?