Adoption of eco-friendly materials in India footwear rising

Rising eco-consciousness among consumers is prompting more India footwear suppliers to adopt sustainable materials such as jute and bamboo. A few companies are using upcycled rubber for soles.

Leather, however, remains a popular material. Among the types typically used in formal and casual footwear are cowhide, buffalo hide, goatskin and sheepskin.

In line with the environmental trend, leather footwear manufacturers are employing dyes extracted from the leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, barks and roots of plants. One of the natural dyes being adopted in tanning is myrobalan, which comes from the fruit of the myrobalan tree or Terminalia chebula.

Domestic availability of raw materials an advantage

A key factor enabling India’s footwear industry to produce a diverse selection is the domestic availability of various raw materials.

For one, the country is the world’s top producer of jute. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Meghalaya, Tripura, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are the major jute-producing states.

Hides and skins for leather footwear are usually obtained from tanneries in the states of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Rubber, a common raw material option for soles, is obtained from the states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Kerala. PU, TPR and PVC are sourced from Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

This article and its contents are provided by the Hinrich Foundation, a partner of Global Sources in promoting trade across Asia. The products and the suppliers featured in this article are export assistance program beneficiaries of the Hinrich Foundation.