What happens to vehicle tyres once they have outlived their purpose? Often, the end-of-life tyres are put through thermochemical treatment under high temperature, to produce industrial oil and other matter, in a process called pyrolysis. The procedure emits polluting gases, according to the Australian Tyre Recyclers Association (ATRA), and has been banned in some developed countries. Tyres that escape pyrolysis sit in large rubber graveyards, where they do not disintegrate, but leach harmful chemicals into the landfills or are a fire hazard.

Young Indian entrepreneurs are finding innovative, non-toxic ways of returning rubber to the road — by adorning your feet with them. Mumbai-based Funky Kalakar, for instance, has impressive credentials: 1,400 kilogram of rubber tyres saved and sewn into footwear since 2017. On a smaller — but still impressive — scale, Pune-based Nemital upcycled more than 400 kilograms of tyres since it was founded in 2018. Tyres, however, are just the beginning. Both these firms are now taking their upcycling ambitions to the next level...

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