Indianes is a Barcelona-based startup that manufactures shoes with biodegradable materials and recycled products. The objective of this proposal is to produce quality shoes that have a significantly reduced environmental impact.
This venture was founded by two Elisava graduates, Diana Feliu and Iván Rojas. Their shoes with biodegradable materials are marketed in our country, in Italy, Germany and Russia; they can be purchased on their website or at their headquarters, located in Almogavers street 165, studio 107, Poblenou.
Shoes with biodegradable materials: what are they made of?
To manufacture the shoes, Indianes uses natural fibers such as hemp, which they claim is one of the least polluting fibers available.
Hemp requires twenty times less water than cotton to obtain. The area needed for its cultivation is 3 times smaller than that needed for cotton and has the very important advantage that it does not require the use of pesticides.
Banana fiber
Banana fiber deserves a separate chapter. According to Indianes, banana fiber could become a solution to the environmental crisis caused by large textile industries. This fiber has not only been used since ancient times by South American communities, but also because it is obtained from banana planting residues.
In the Andes, indigenous communities have a long tradition of agriculture. However, this process has also become widespread, generating tons and tons of waste from banana agriculture.
By treating this residue, banana fiber can be obtained, which is extremely useful for a large number of products. In addition, to grow bananas, the plant must be cut after it produces fruit, so that the cut plant becomes a source of material that can be used for other purposes and not simply agricultural waste.
Recycling shoes
Another initiative of this “green” startup is the recycling of shoes: they have proposed to collect 500 pairs of shoes to recycle them and give them a new life.
To achieve this goal, they ask those who want to sign up for this work to donate their old shoes, provided that the soles are made of rubber, plastic or rubber. They cannot be leather or heeled.
Also, Indianes offers the amount of ten euros as an incentive for the donation of the shoes, which they ask to meet at least one of these three conditions:
- that have detached soles,
- that have badly worn soles, or
- that the body of the shoe is broken.
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