In a country grappling with mountains of waste and a pressing need for sustainable solutions, one designer in Kanpur is quietly rewriting the rules of urban innovation. Vaishali Biyani, a former recruiter-turned-upcycler, has built a company that transforms discarded truck tyres into striking urban furniture, art installations and public park infrastructure. Her start-up, De’Dzines, operates at the unlikely intersection of circular economy, rural employment and high-concept design. In spaces as diverse as five-star hotels and snowy army outposts, her creations endure and inspire. What began as a curiosity about tyre waste has grown into a bold, scalable vision for environmental reinvention.

In the snow-clad silence of Siachen, India’s highest military outpost, stands a curious piece of furniture made not of wood, nor of steel but from discarded tyres. Two years since it was installed, the chair hasn’t warped, cracked or budged. Even in snowstorms, the furniture is standing strong. It was one of many quiet validations for a project that, to many, still sounds improbable: transforming end-of-life tyres into swings, sculpture parks and stylish indoor planters.

On the dusty fringes of Kanpur, a former industrial powerhouse now known more for its mountains of discarded waste than for its textiles, an unexpected kind of manufacturing is quietly reshaping public parks and luxury hotels. The raw material? Old truck tyres.

At the heart of this transformation is an unlikely entrepreneur. Once immersed in the startup buzz of Delhi, she spent over a decade building a successful recruitment company. But a twist of fate took her to Kanpur, where she spotted something that others had learned to ignore: waste.

“Waste was everywhere, from roads, outside factories to back alleys. But tyres stood out. They were built to last and nobody knew what to do with them,” said Vaishali Biyani, Founder of De’Dzines.

Her shift from the digital corridors of Delhi to the tyre-strewn lanes of Kanpur was anything but planned. “I had no intention of starting over. My recruitment firm was doing well. But when I relocated in 2017, I began noticing the sheer scale of unutilised waste, especially tyres,” she admitted.

What followed was a period of grassroots immersion. By day, she continued recruitment work. By night, she sat with tyre scrap dealers, learning the material inside out. She recalls walking through filthy lanes where tyres lay in heaps, asking questions most dealers never expected.

In 2019, she registered her company De’Dzines and formally launched commercial operations in 2021. Her goal was to upcycle truck tyres into handmade furniture, planters and urban sculptures.

The choice of truck tyres was deliberate as they comprise better rubber composition, more wire and stronger polymers.

The early days weren’t easy. Setting up in Kanpur came with its own cultural and logistical hurdles. “People here had never heard of upcycling.

They thought I was collecting garbage, and when I tried to hire people, nobody wanted to work with tyres. Even explaining the concept was a battle,” recalled Biyani.

Her 20,000-square-foot workshop in Kanpur became ground zero for a new type of production rooted in low-tech and high-ingenuity processes. “We use small tools, not big machines. Everything is handmade, from cutting, cleaning to polishing. Each product is crafted by a team of 15 full-time workers, all from nearby villages. For larger orders, the team expands to 50,” explained Biyani.

She recalled that hiring was a nightmare. Hence, she trained locals, most of whom had never worked in manufacturing. Today, they handle everything from wire removal to final finishing.

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS

The idea didn’t start in a studio but in scrap yards and municipal back alleys, where tyres lay heaped, burnt, buried and forgotten. Starting with a handful of used tyres, the founder and his lean team began crafting swings and planters by hand. Today, the company consumes between 10–12 tonnes of tyres monthly, rising significantly during major government projects.

“We usually do two big waste to wonder parks each year. If it’s a two-acre project, it could require tonnes of tyres. We’ve done parks where the government provided tyres themselves; we just deducted that cost from the tender,” said Biyani.

She added that in these early partnerships, the team didn’t have the luxury of choosing tyre types. But now, they get to select what is needed. The company now focuses on nylon-based truck tyres, especially from buses and transport bodies.

Changing consumer perception was perhaps the biggest challenge as tyres are dirty and smelly. People don’t even want to touch them. So she launched a direct-to-consumer (D2C) model to test market acceptance. The Covid-19 lockdowns, surprisingly, helped.

“Everyone moved online. I started listing products on Amazon before I even had a website. The response was overwhelming. People liked what they saw and left great reviews. That gave us confidence to double down,” averred Biyani.

But sustainability messaging wasn’t the silver bullet as Indians don’t pay extra for eco-friendly, she contended. The company had to position the products for its durability, aesthetics and value.

She recalls the initial scepticism from customers divulging, “We had people asking that won’t this smell or will it leave black marks. So we added multiple layers of polish, built a hygiene protocol and offered an easy return policy. If you didn’t like the product, you could send it back. No questions asked,” she explained.

The strategy worked. The brand slowly built a reputation not just for environmental responsibility but also for reliability and craftsmanship.

UPCYCLED PRODUCT

At De’Dzines, each tyre begins its second life with a rigorous cleaning process. Steel wires are removed, often manually. Then comes cutting, which is a precision job to ensure the structural integrity of the product. After shaping, the rubber is treated with safe, non-toxic polish and reinforced with recycled wood or steel depending on the final design.

“The design philosophy is simple. Form follows function but beauty matters. We don’t want the product to scream ‘I’m made of waste’. We want it to feel like something you’d be proud to place in your home or office,” she explained.

Some products take two days to complete. Others, like swing seats or large benches, can take over a week. The company isn’t chasing mass production but chasing quality, story and purpose.

While European and Australian companies offered to export tyre scrap to her for free, she refused. “The logistics defeat the purpose. Sustainability isn’t just about materials; it’s also about carbon footprint. Why ship tyres across oceans when Uttar Pradesh is full of them,” said Biyani.

She signed MOUs with municipal corporations across Agra, Lucknow, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur. These urban bodies provided used tyres from fleet vehicles.

While scrap tyres are generally expensive in India, this circular sourcing model keeps costs manageable. “The tyre scrap market in India is fragmented, expensive and full of middlemen. That’s why we prefer working directly with municipal bodies,” noted Biyani.

For projects with unpredictable demand, she still sources from the open scrap market.

BACKYARDS TO FIVE-STAR LOBBIES

As public confidence grew, so did the scale of projects. De’Dzines moved from retail to B2B, then to government partnerships. One milestone was supplying planters to the Shangri-La Eros Hotel in Delhi. “The hotel placed them in every room and throughout the gardens. That proved we could pitch to luxury hospitality,” said Biyani.

Today, De’Dzines has designed and completed over 10 public parks in partnership with local governments. It handles everything from concept to installation. It’s no longer just about products but transforming spaces.

In one project near Prayagraj, she repurposed over 4,000 tyres to create an entire play zone that included benches, see-saws, tyre walls and garden edges. “We turned waste into wonder. The joy on children’s faces is our biggest endorsement,” quipped Biyani.

For a country drowning in waste yet starved for sustainable innovation, De’Dzines offers a blueprint that blends environmental purpose with rural employment and scalable design. Her journey is also a quiet rebuke to the idea that innovation only happens in technological hubs.

“I didn’t come here to start a recycling revolution. I was just curious about where tyres go when they die. That one question changed everything,” she contended.

As she trains her team for their next urban park project, surrounded by stacks of discarded rubber, the message is clear that even the dirtiest waste can have a second life with beauty and durability.

HANDMADE, YET SCALABLE

One might imagine such a business struggling with scale. After all, each piece, be it a sculpture or a chair, is largely handmade. But ingenuity, it turns out, is as core to the company’s identity as sustainability.

A telling moment came during an export order. A client requested 500 customised planters with a 20-day delivery timeline. “It wasn’t our design. It was theirs and very detailed. So we built a single mould for it, trained 50 people and finished in 15 days instead of 20,” recalled a confident Biyani.

This success paved the way for future scale-ups. The team has since developed moulds for several recurring products while still retaining flexibility for custom projects.

“We now know how to train fast, hire locally and deliver in volume. It’s a hybrid of craft and light manufacturing,” she added.

Alluding to working with different government bodies, Biyani spoke candidly about the public sectors’ promise and bureaucracy. “Municipal corporations are straightforward. We sign a simple MOU that lets us collect tyres for two or five years. In return, we give them a rate list for furniture or sculptures when needed. It’s simple and direct,” she contended.

Working with state transport undertakings like BEST or DTC, however, is a different story as their procurement is through massive tenders.

So, for now, she prefers to work with cities like Prayagraj, where the team completed nine junction designs and two parks in just 45 days.

LOOKING AHEAD

Much of the company’s growth has come not from sales teams but from serendipity and design.

One of the most fruitful connections came via social media, when a CSR head from Bridgestone discovered the team’s Instagram posts. Today, the company is working with Bridgestone on a multi-year sculptural design project in Pune.

Her vision now extends beyond upcycling. “We’re exploring modular designs that can be assembled onsite for large-scale installations,” she revealed. There are also plans to set up satellite workshops in other parts of UP using the same village employment model.

Eventually, she wants to export as she believes that the products should sit in parks in Dubai or public plazas in Europe. Not because they’re Indian or upcycled but because they’re beautiful and built to last.

As demand grows, the company is moving into newer segments. The next frontier is hospitality.

“We’re now working with luxury hotels, resorts and even army cantonments. Our products survive storms in Siachen. They survive monsoons in Goa. That’s our pitch: sustainable, durable and different,” quipped a cheerful Biyani.

She’s also gearing up for a major hospitality exhibition in Greater Noida from 3–6 August, where the team will launch a new line of indoor furniture made from upcycled tyres.

But challenges remain; chief among them is pricing. “A virgin plastic chair is cheaper than our tyre-based one. Convincing someone to pay a premium for sustainability is our biggest hurdle,” she contended.

There is a poetic irony in transforming black industrial waste into playful swings and public sculptures. It is perhaps this unlikely fusion of function and imagination that distinguishes the designer.

In places like Prayagraj, Pune and even Siachen, tyres are no longer confined to roads; they are finding new meaning as symbols of transformation.

For a small design company with ambitious ideas, it seemed that the path forward might indeed be paved, quite literally, with rubber. 

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) has released its market report for May 2026, depicting a sector characterised by sustained price strength and firm fundamentals. The global natural rubber market received additional upward momentum from a decline in Brent crude oil prices, which averaged USD 107.14 per barrel during the month. This represented a month-on-month decrease of 8.65 percent, attributed to easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which collectively bolstered the commodity's outlook.

Global production projections for 2026 stand at 15.337 million tonnes, marking a 2.4 percent increase from the previous year, with growth driven by Thailand, China, India and Malaysia, even as output moderates in Indonesia and Vietnam. Monthly production, however, fell to 997,000 tonnes in May, a year-on-year decline of 4.7 percent, due to seasonal wintering and dry weather conditions across South and Southeast Asia. Concurrently, worldwide consumption is forecast to rise by 1.3 percent to 15.550 million tonnes for the year, with May's consumption reaching 1.310 million tonnes, a 4.6 percent annual increase. This demand was underpinned by steady tyre manufacturing, electric vehicle-related consumption and resilient purchasing managers' indices in China and India, alongside record auto retail sales in India.

Physical prices for all major grades recorded broad-based gains throughout May, with SMR-20, STR-20, RSS-3, RSS-4 and latex all experiencing increases. Trade flows showed a mixed pattern, as imports from China and India contracted month-on-month, while Malaysia and Vietnam registered significant gains. On the export front, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand recorded increases, whereas Indonesia and Malaysia saw declines. Currency movements saw the Malaysian ringgit ease slightly, while the Thai baht traded within a stable range, and both nations reported decelerating GDP growth for the first quarter of 2026. Futures contracts on the SHFE and SGX reflected tightening supply and firm demand, posting notable month-on-month gains.

The market outlook remains cautiously balanced against a backdrop of several macroeconomic factors. Elevated trade tensions between United States and China, ongoing geopolitical conflicts and a steady United States Federal Reserve interest rate policy present potential headwinds. However, these are being offset by supportive elements, including the accelerating adoption of electric vehicles, tight feedstock supply due to adverse weather and the positive market sentiment generated by the European Union's decision to lower anti-dumping duties on Chinese tyres.

Zeon Corporation has introduced a novel data management system specifically designed for elastomer research and development, marking the company’s first foray into a subscription-based service model. The platform is engineered to centralise and streamline R&D data pertaining to rubber products, with the primary goal of enhancing operational efficiency and accelerating developmental processes for its clientele. The initial phase of the rollout will concentrate on the Japanese market, with a strategic plan to broaden access to other regions in the future.

The elastomer industry frequently grapples with the fragmentation of data across disparate systems, which complicates the effective utilisation of historical information. Through extensive experience in elastomer supply and sustained client engagement, Zeon has identified this operational hurdle as a pervasive issue affecting the entire sector. This recognition has been the catalyst for developing a solution that directly confronts these data management deficiencies.

The newly launched system incorporates specialised functionalities that are finely attuned to the nuances of rubber product R&D. It integrates a comprehensive database that combines master data for key compounding agents available in Japan with extensive catalogue information, facilitating rapid and efficient data access for daily research tasks. The platform’s intuitive interface and user experience are meticulously crafted to optimise usability and data visualisation, with a commitment to ongoing enhancements based on evolving customer requirements.

Zeon has formally designated this data management solution as a growth driver for its strategic initiatives, extending beyond the Phase 3 objectives of its STAGE30 medium-term plan. The company envisions this business becoming a cornerstone of its strategy to augment the value proposition of its elastomer operations. By synergising its deep-seated elastomer expertise with advanced data utilisation technologies, Zeon is poised to foster innovation in client R&D and propel the overall advancement of the elastomer industry.

A new bio-based cut & chip resin for the most demanding applications.

NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 is SI Group’s latest advancement in bio-based performance resins designed to significantly improve cut and chip resistance in high-severity rubber applications. With approximately 75 percent bio-based content, this innovative material delivers on sustainability targets while exceeding the performance typically associated with petroleum-derived resins, making it a strong choice for applications such as OTR tyres in mining, construction and agriculture, mining conveyor belts, rubber tracks and mill linings.

Cut and chip resistance is a complex set of material behaviours, including static mechanical strength, dynamic response under deformation and ability to withstand sharp impacts and abrasive environments. In demanding applications such as mining or agriculture, materials must tolerate repeated high-strain loading and resist the initiation and propagation of tears. NaugaShield™ BIO-TR 30 was developed precisely to meet these conditions, demonstrating notably low dynamic heat buildup and excellent tear strength – characteristics closely tied to enhanced cut and chip resistance and long-term durability under cyclical loads.

To evaluate its performance, NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 was benchmarked in an Off-road Rib Tread formulation against two widely used industry references: a gum rosin/semi-aromatic C5/C9 resin combination and a styrenated DCPD resin. All materials were tested at an equal loading of 10 phr to provide a direct and unbiased comparison. Under these conditions, the bio-based resin consistently outperformed both alternatives, offering a stronger balance of reinforcing behaviour, improved tear propagation resistance and superior resistance to thermal degradation during dynamic flexing. Further improvements were achievable by reducing the amount of free extender oil in the compound, underscoring the resin’s adaptability in formulation design and its ability to unlock even greater performance when optimised.

These laboratory indicators were corroborated through extended Coesfeld Cut & Chip testing (see chart), in which compounds were subjected to up to 3,000 cycles at 200 rpm under a 200N applied force. Formulations containing NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 exhibited substantially lower mass loss and maintained tread surface integrity more effectively than the hydrocarbon and gum rosin-based-benchmarks. The performance advantage was even more pronounced in compounds adjusted for lower free oil content, confirming that the resin can be tailored to meet the durability requirements of the most challenging operating conditions.

The strong performance of NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 in OTR tread compounds can be readily transferred to other rubber goods that encounter similar wear mechanisms. Applications such as mining belts, agricultural and construction tracks or mill linings benefit from the resin’s ability to reinforce the rubber matrix, reduce crack growth under repeated impact and maintain structural cohesion under high-strain deformation. This versatility allows manufacturers to integrate a 75 percent bio-based resin that supports sustainability by reducing fossil-based content and helping end products last longer while maintaining – and often improving – operational performance across multiple product lines.

NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 is currently available in commercial quantities, enabling compounders and manufacturers to move directly from laboratory evaluation to pilot- and production-scale trials.

Kuraray Co., Ltd. marked its 100th anniversary on 24 June 2026, with a commemorative ceremony at the Tokyo International Forum. The company live-streamed the event to its domestic and overseas locations, enabling employees worldwide to join the celebration simultaneously and strengthening the Group's collective spirit.

The speciality chemical company expressed deep appreciation to its stakeholders and predecessors for their enduring support throughout the century. Leaders also reaffirmed the organisation's determination to pursue new challenges collaboratively as it embarks on its next hundred years.

Hitoshi Kawahara, President, Kuraray Co., Ltd.

President Hitoshi Kawahara called for uniting values across diverse countries, regions, languages and cultures during this pivotal moment. He advocated for realising ‘One Kuraray’ by actively connecting people, technologies and knowledge beyond conventional organisational and business boundaries to co-create fresh value.

Kuraray originated in 1926 in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, with the commercial production of synthetic rayon. Over the past century, the company built its reputation on distinctive technologies, including PVA fiber, PVOH resin, CLARINO man-made leather and EVAL EVOH resin, guided by its mission to achieve what no other company can for people and the planet. Today, Kuraray operates across 32 countries and regions. The company now views its centennial as a launching point for tackling social challenges through innovation and for unlocking new possibilities in the years ahead.