Pooja Apte Badamikar is the Founder of BlinkGreen, an eco-friendly startup that upcycles tyre scrap to make fashion worthy footwear. Like many in India, Pooja completed her engineering and took up a job in the IT sector. She worked there for about four years while completing her post-graduation in renewable energy from The Energy and Research Institute (TERI).

“Environment and sustainability has always been my passion since school days. TERI is a well-known university for the related courses. I wanted to start my career in the environmental sector, which is why I opted for a PG in Renewable Energy subject,” Pooja says.

While hunting for a job in this very niche sector, she came across the field of upcycling waste material, specifically tyres. “Upcycling is the best way to reduce landfills. With very minimum investment we can start the business. The most important part here is that we can replace the virgin material normally used and hence reduce the use of natural resources like oils and water.”

With the drive to reduce landfills and waste in our country Pooja looked across the globe for ways to utilise scrap tyres for footwear. She says, “During my post-graduation I started reading about upcycling and recycling of different materials. Very few of us know that tyre waste is a very serious issue and a miniscule amount is recycled out of it. So, I started brainstorming on the topic and the idea that footwear can be made from scrap tyres worked. It also helps to reduce landfills. Then I started working on the idea and with the help of local cobblers, we were successful in making 2 prototypes of footwear where the soles were made of upcycled tyres. The first prototype was made up of airplane tyres and the second one was made of scrap truck tyres.”

Putting her ideas and education together, Pooja was able to develop two prototypes and was ready to show the country how we can help the environment and make it sustainable. “I enrolled myself in the startup India competition – ‘Start Up yatra.’ To my surprise, I won an award for ‘Upcoming Women Entrepreneur’ in Nov 2018. That’s when the journey started for me by turning the idea into business.”

So, how does she upcycle tyres?

“We have a few local sources in Pune who supply old tyres and we get them machine cut and use them to cover the bottom part with the footwear.” BlinkGreen also employs several women from self-help groups to work on stitching the fabric for the footwear. Put all this together and you get great footwear that reduces tyre waste and helps save the environment.

We asked Pooja how she was able to start a business like this, “I won Rs 50,000 in the ‘Upcoming Woman Entrepreneur’ category, organised by the Maharashtra State Innovation Society for ‘Start Up yatra’. In July 2019, I approached the Bank of India for a Mudra loan for small businesses and this is all the funding options that have helped me sustain my startup.”

Great start. But, can this work?

“Until now we have upcycled around 500 kgs of waste tyres. Which means we have 500 kg less tyre waste in our landfills until now. Conventionally footwear soles are made of plastic or virgin rubber. Which means we have helped to reduce the use of almost equal amounts of plastic by replacing it with the scrap tyre. So, we have helped to reduce the use of a large number of resources (like oils and water) which otherwise might have been consumed for manufacturing plastic.”

Can upcycling waste as a career or a business?

“The Circular Economy has great opportunities to start your business. It will definitely help society, business and environment. But the most important part in the upcycling business is, it should not jeopardize the quality of the final product.”

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Orion S.A., a global speciality chemicals company, has successfully secured the prestigious ISCC – the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification for its manufacturing facility located in Qingdao, China. This significant achievement is the direct result of a rigorous, independent audit process which validated that the plant’s operations fully comply with the comprehensive sustainability criteria established by ISCC.

The certification serves as a formal verification of both the transparency and the complete traceability of the sustainable raw materials integrated into the facility’s production value chain. This milestone is a key component of Orion’s overarching corporate strategy to implement and enhance sustainable practices throughout its international operations.

By achieving this globally recognised standard, the company reinforces its commitment to supplying clients with high-performance carbon black and other speciality chemical products that adhere to leading international environmental and sustainability benchmarks, thereby supporting customer goals for more responsible manufacturing.

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Ecolomondo Corporation, a Canadian developer of sustainable technology for recycling scrap tyres, has secured a provisional financing agreement with Export Development Canada (EDC) for USD 2.7 million. The funds are intended to support the final ramp-up phase of its Hawkesbury thermal decomposition plant by covering necessary capital investments and operational working capital.

Following months of negotiation, both parties have agreed in principle to the loan terms, which include augmenting an existing USD 2 million credit facility established by a subsidiary, Ecolomondo Environmental (Hawkesbury) Inc, in January 2025.

Furthermore, EDC has conditionally approved a temporary suspension of principal and interest payments for loans from 2024 and 2025, applicable during the facility's 2026 ramp-up period. This financial arrangement is designed to provide the liquidity required to advance the project to full operational capacity, pending the finalisation of formal documentation.

Jean-François Labbé, Interim CEO, Ecolomondo Corporation, said “We have been working steadily in Hawkesbury, hiring, training, increasing production, increasing sales and, most of all, improving efficiency. This additional financing from EDC is greatly appreciated and should allow the Hawkesbury TDP facility to achieve its full potential.”

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Cabot Corporation said it has received improved environmental ratings from CDP, reflecting continued progress in water management and steady performance on climate disclosures.

In CDP’s 2025 assessment, the company was awarded an A- rating for Water Security, up from a B in 2024, and a B rating for Climate Change, unchanged from the previous year. Cabot said the water score exceeded both global and industry averages, recognising its approach to managing water-related risks and implementing sustainable water practices.

The Climate Change rating remained stable year on year, with improvements reported in areas including climate risk disclosure, value chain engagement and industry collaboration.

The latest scores extend a five-year pattern of incremental improvement, achieved amid more demanding reporting standards and rising expectations from regulators, investors and customers.

“We are proud that CDP’s independent assessment reflects our ongoing efforts to enhance environmental performance and transparency,” said Jennifer Chittick, senior vice-president for Safety, Health and Environment and chief sustainability officer. “The improvement in our Water Security score demonstrates our leadership in this critical area, and we remain committed to advancing our sustainability strategy across all domains. This progress was made possible by our dedicated, global team, and we remain focused on driving further improvements in the years ahead.”

CDP assesses companies on environmental impact across climate change, water security and deforestation, using a scale from D for Disclosure to A for Leadership. In 2025, more than 24,800 companies were rated, representing about two-thirds of global market capitalisation.

Cabot said the results underline its focus on transparency and responsible environmental management as it continues to execute its sustainability strategy.

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A USD 1.4 million equipment enhancement at Liberty Tire Recycling’s Cameron, North Carolina, facility is set to significantly boost its processing capabilities. This upgrade, enabled by the state’s sustainable financial backing of its scrap tyre programme, will allow the facility to handle an extra 3,300 tonnes of material annually, representing nearly 300,000 passenger tyres.

A key improvement is the increased capacity to process truck tyres, which are more challenging to recycle due to their size and durable steel components. The resulting crumb rubber, highly sought after by manufacturers, will be directed towards producing floor mat bases and rubber tiles made entirely from recycled material. This material also serves as a component for athletic tracks, synthetic turf, rubberised asphalt and various moulded products.

This capital investment follows North Carolina’s legislative action to redirect tyre disposal fees into the state’s scrap tyre management system, a move that includes compensating counties for collection and recycling expenses. With North Carolina establishing itself as a centre for tyre recycling, Liberty Tire indicates it is evaluating further multi-million-dollar investments and job creation across its other operations in the state.

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