World Environment Day: Meet Shriya Tripathi, who has designed sneakers from charred cigarette butts

“So, when I realised that cigarettes are not only harmful to human health but also to our environment, I took it upon myself to come up with a solution to constructively use this ubiquitous waste. I discussed this topic with my college mentor, Paridhi Dhanuka, and she was more than happy to let me take this concept ahead. She guided me throughout the research to bring this product to life,” shared Shriya, who presented her collection Repurposing Cigarette Butts into Usable Textile, at the institute’s annual platform Portfolio recently.

Sharing more about her ‘raw material’, Shriya said that the presence of cellulose in cigarette butts makes them an ideal candidate for recycling. Further opening up about the process of making the sneakers, she shared that after chemically reducing the toxicity level and the pungent odour from the cigarette butts, she was left with detoxified cigarette butt filaments which were then spun into yarn. “The yarn was then woven into fabric in a table loom. The repurposed textile was finally hand painted in grey colour resembling the smoke produced by cigarettes, and how it slowly fades away in the air,” she told indianexpress.com.

The yarn was woven into fabric in a table loom (Source: Shriya Tripathi)

“People have seen many recycled products in the market, but the repurposing of charred cigarette butts is something which is significantly less heard and known of. To ascertain the viability of the product, I conducted a survey and realised that many of the respondents were concerned about the toxicity and odour of a charred cigarette butt. Their concern was taken care of by explaining to them about the extensive purification,” the 23-year-old explained.

As part of her “extensive consumer analysis”, which included people aged 18 and above, she even explained the purpose of the project to them. “They were also told about the properties of the textile. Most people were thrilled about this concept and showed a lot of support. Consumer analysis was conducted for both smokers and non-smokers. Both these divisions were enthusiastic, as this concept is very new,” shared Shriya, who took six months to make the product.

But why specifically sneakers? “Sneakers were specifically chosen as smokers light up cigarettes and post smoking, they put it out with their shoes. Hence, making a sneaker, which is considered cool in the current generation, of the charred remains completes the full circle,” pointed out Shriya.

Take a look at the designed sneakers (Source: Shriya Tripathi)

Stressing that more research is needed, Shriya, who made a few people try on the pair of sneakers for a few days said, “Their responses were very positive. And since I plan on launching this product line under my brand, more extensive surveys and tests will be conducted.”

She is currently in the process of applying for a patent under her name for the pair of sneakers which could cost approximately Rs 3,500. “My plan is to take this project from this stage to the market once I establish a large enough social circle to collect the required quantity of discarded cigarette butts. Additionally, I aim to expand the use of this textile into various other products that can be customised keeping the environment in mind,” said Shriya.

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