At Plaeto, our mission is about creating innovative and comfortable footwear for our children while taking a responsible stance towards the planet and its inhabitants. This core belief led us to partner with the Goonj, embodying our commitment to sustainability and social equity. Goonj founded in 1999 by Magsaysay award winner Mr. Anshu Gupta, is a multi-award-winning social enterprise that works on poverty alleviation, rural development, and disaster relief and rehab.
Our initiative ‘Soul to Sole’ demonstrates the power of collective action towards a common goal - to bridge the gap between urban privilege and rural necessities.
Through this initiative we are repurposing shoes that would have otherwise been discarded or added to the landfill, providing them with a second life in the hinterlands of our country. We ensured each pair was refurbished and safely passed onto children who needed them most, fostering an environment where sustainability fuels social good. Through this initiative, nearly 2500 pairs of unused shoes have already been donated by kids across multiple schools in Bangalore city.
The real triumph, however, was the underlying impact - creating a paradigm shift in our approach to consumption and waste. This initiative gave students a hands-on lesson about the value of recycling, compassion, and the difference their actions can make.
As they say, it takes a village to raise a child. Hence, the role of schools, principals, administrators in enabling us as well as kids and parents in helping collect the shoes is invaluable in this achievement. It converted the institutions into change hubs, underlining the importance of sustainability. More than that, it helped students understand that their actions can have a direct impact on our planet and its people.
Moving forward, our vision is to expand this drive to more schools and cities, amplifying our impact. We understand that building a sustainable future requires persistent effort and collective action, and we are ready to take those steps.
The journey to sustainability begins with a single step. We are proud to share that we have taken over two thousand already.
"The amount we give back to the community isn't the most important thing, it's the love and care we put into our giving that truly matters. At GEAR, we actively seek out opportunities to assist those in need within our community. Goonj has proven to be an excellent platform for helping our children understand the importance of sharing their gently used belongings with others who may need them more.
Several of our children had the opportunity to visit and volunteer at Goonj. In collaboration with Plaeto, they participated in the Shoe Take-Back Drive initiative. They not only helped redirect used shoes from urban areas of our country to rural areas, thoughtfully providing them to people in need but also encouraged all GEAR students to donate their shoes'
Nandini Bhat, Principal - GEAR Innovative Intl School Bangalore
While accessible technology to make drastic planet impact is still getting developed, we cannot give up on small steps to make an impact on the planet. Our partnership with Goonj is a small step in this direction
Ravi Kallayil, CEO - Plaeto