Pune-based startup claims to create world’s first recycled sunglasses out of potato chip packets

A Pune-based startup claims to have created the world’s first recycled sunglasses made from packets of chips.

Anish Malpani announced the launch of the recycled sunglasses on Twitter, calling it the “most difficult thing” he has ever worked on. In a Pune laboratory, the former finance professional spent two years researching and developing recycled sunglasses made of multi-layered plastics (MLP).

When Malpani founded Ashaya, a social impact startup, in February 2021, he wanted to work on solving the problem of multi-layered plastics, which are notoriously difficult to recycle, according to the Indian Express. MLPs, which are created by fusing multiple materials, pose a serious threat to the environment. This type of plastic is most commonly used in food packaging, such as the chip packets Malpani used to create his line of recycled sunglasses.


Malpani and his team collected discarded packets of chips by working directly with waste pickers.

A video explaining the concept behind the sunglasses revealed that the money earned from these sunglasses will be used to pay waste pickers better and fund their children’s education.

According to Malpani, a beta version of the sunglasses has been released at a special price of Rs 1,099.

The sunglasses, which were released under the brand name “Without”, are UV polarised, unisex, and weigh slightly more than 25 grams. Customers can scan a QR code on the side of the sunglasses to learn how many packets were used to make them, who collected the packets, and so on.

Ashaya guarantees that these sunglasses will not break. If you do manage to break them, the startup will collect and recycle them once more.

FAQs

Q1: How much does Ashaya’s “Without” sunglasses cost?
Rs. 1,099/-

Q2: What material is used in making Ashaya's “Without” sunglasses?
The company claimed that the sunglasses are made up of packets of chips.