In this path of sustainability and circular economy, we better walk together than alone –this is what Kai and Kyle believe is true, when we visited them in one of their shops in Ubud. This is the core of Indosole, a business built on both environmental concern and economic opportunity.
Indosole has been in action since 2009, the year of their initial registration as a business here in Bali Island. Their first delivery was a year later, in 2010. The original concept was resourceful creation. This stemmed from both ecological issue and business opportunity. As the production of motor vehicles globally rocketed, the next issue is what to do with the waste, especially tires. It is almost impossible for tires to decompose since they take thousands of years to do so. Tyre waste ended up being incinerated –which led to a bigger problem of air pollution–, being left in landfills and becoming breeding grounds for malaria and dengue mosquitoes, or polluting the rivers and oceans. This problem only got worse when you look at the numbers; 1.5 billion tires are discarded every year, with nowhere to go. This also creates an opportunity, since sandals from upcycle tires have been around especially in Indonesia but no one has made it fashionable yet, or made a brand based solely on it. Therefore, Indosole is a unique brand with a combination of both solution and chance. There are piles of tires that deserved to be given a second life.
To honor this vision, Indosole earned their B-corp in 2014. This is a badge of honour, since it reflects the way Indosole do their responsible manufacturing as well as interact with workers, suppliers, and their community. So far, Indosole were able to save nearly 150.000 tires from landfills.
The reason why Indosole chose to utilize tyre waste came from a beautiful coincidental mishap and the love for Bali. When walking the streets of Seminyak, their founder, Kyle Parsons, strucked with the idea that even though upcycled sandals from tyre waste was already a mainstream notion, but it was not marketed properly so the idea hasn’t reached that many people. After years of research and development, Indosole is successful in bridging a classic silhouette of sandals with high upcycling technology called SETT (Sole Engineered Tire Technology). They worked with local artisans to improve product step by step and learn how to work with tires. Alas, the Pandemic left a mark on them –Bali was shut down for nearly two years, and their business had to shift immediately to supporting programs to feed the hungry and local grassroots initiatives.
Indosole’s product design was entirely inspired from daily wear; functional, versatile, minimalistic. With three basic models which are flip-flops, slides, and cross, Indosole is determined to let the design speak for itself. However, while working with Pable, they wanted to do a step-up, to create something a little bit more formal –footwear you can comfortably wear to events, weddings, and such. One thing that never left their direction is meanings. In Indosole, even the color of the products has meaning. Black is for recycling, repurposing, and waste management. Sea salt (light grey) is for workers right and fair practices. Leaf (bottle-green) is for forest conservation. And the most interesting; Rust (dusty pink) is for protection of Orangutan in their natural habitat of Sumatra and Borneo islands.
Not only looking for profit, Indosole truly believe that the idea beyond the product is how to get people to get involved with environmentalism. Partnering with Sungai Watch, The Ragam Foundation, Sustainable Surf, Handep, Ocean Folx, Germ Cell, and of course Pable, Indosole not only raises environmental awareness but also promotes scalable and accessible methods of business models that can be replicated globally. Indosole openly stated that environmentalist-activists such as Greta Thunberg and Melati Wijsen are their inspiration to stay committed to sustainability, innovation, and positive impact. Celebrating their 16 years of journey in Indonesia, Indosole is a reminder –that the path towards sustainability doesn’t happen overnight and alone. It is necessary to connect and collaborate
