用塑膠袋製成的運動鞋售價100美元 | 全球廢棄物 | 商業內幕：英語精讀講義

These sneakers are made with garbage.

這些運動鞋是用垃圾製成的。

The company that makes them says each pair contains 10 plastic bags

製造這些鞋的公司表示，每雙鞋含有10個塑膠袋

and 12 bottles.

和12個寶特瓶。

For $110,

花110美元，

they'll ship them anywhere in the world.

他們就會把鞋寄到世界任何地方。

But can footwear made from trash 表達脈絡

但用垃圾製成的鞋

compete in the over $70 billion sneaker industry?

能在規模超過700億美元的運動鞋產業中競爭嗎？

We went to India to meet the young entrepreneur making sneakers from worldwide waste. 文法

我們前往印度，拜訪這位用世界各地的廢棄物製作運動鞋的年輕創業家。

23-year-old Ashay Bhave launched Thaely in July 2021. 用詞

23歲的Ashay Bhave於2021年7月創立Thaely。

Thaely because it is the Hindi word for plastic bags. 文化背景

之所以叫Thaely，是因為這個詞在印地語中意指「塑膠袋」。

At first, Bhave struggled to gather materials, 片語搭配

起初，Bhave很難蒐集到原料，

even though trash in India ends up in all kinds of places. 講解

儘管印度各個角落都能見到垃圾。

I assumed that it would be easy to find you know, waste plastic bags,

我原以為廢棄塑膠袋應該很容易找到，你知道的，

but that wasn't the case. 片語搭配

但事實並非如此。

So Bhave partnered with a waste removal company 片語搭配

於是，Bhave與一家垃圾清運公司合作，

that hires rag pickers. 文化背景

這家公司僱用拾荒者。

Those are people who collect recyclables

他們就是收集可回收物的人，

from the street to sell for cash.

從街頭撿來，再賣掉換錢。

Triotap Technologies offers them a steady paycheck 文法

Triotap Technologies為他們提供穩定的薪資

and an indoor sorting space.

以及室內分類空間。

They clean the bags in a hot tub filled only with water

他們把塑膠袋放進裝滿熱水的水槽裡清洗，

without any added chemicals.

不添加任何化學藥劑。

And then hang them out to dry. 片語動詞

然後把它們掛起來晾乾。

Inside the warehouse,

在倉庫裡，

Sairuddin stacks eight to 10 layers of bags at a time.

Sairuddin每次將8到10層塑膠袋疊在一起。

Then places the pile under a heat press.

接著把這疊塑膠袋放到熱壓機下。

This finished product will cover most of the sneaker.

這種成品材料會覆蓋運動鞋的大部分區域。

The company's founder calls it ThaelyTex 文法

公司創辦人稱它為ThaelyTex。

So it's a material that's made entirely out of waste plastic bags 片語搭配

這是一種完全由廢棄塑膠袋製成的材料，

without the use of any chemicals. 片語搭配

全程不使用任何化學藥劑。

Sairuddin packs and ships them seven hours north

Sairuddin將這些薄片打包，運往北方7小時車程外的

to the Nitush footwear factory.

Nitush鞋廠。

That's where the shoe will be assembled. 文法

鞋子會在那裡組裝。

First, ThaelyTex sheets are die cut using metal forms. 用詞

首先，使用金屬刀模裁切ThaelyTex薄片。

Other patterns are cut from rPET fabric, 用詞

其他裁片則從rPET布料裁切，

which is made from recycled bottles

這種布料由回收寶特瓶製成，

and woven into something like canvas.

並被織成類似帆布的材質。

The workers stitch the two types of materials together.

工人將這兩種材料縫合在一起。

The assembled upper gets stretched out. 文法

組裝好的鞋面會被拉伸定型。

Thaely's soles are made with crumbs of industrial rubber.

Thaely的鞋底由工業橡膠碎屑製成。

A worker needs to rough the sole on this grinder, 用詞

工人需要用這台研磨機把鞋底磨粗，

so the glue added in the next step will adhere. 文法

這樣下一步塗上的膠才能黏牢。

They coat the top of the sole with a clear glue. 片語搭配

他們在鞋底上表面塗上一層透明膠。

A special UV light increases its stickiness.

特殊的紫外線燈會增強膠的黏著力。

The shoes go through a series of heat treatments 片語動詞

鞋子要經過一連串熱處理

and coats to strengthen the bond between the sole and the upper.

和塗層工序，以強化鞋底與鞋面的黏合。

Then comes the final round of stitching. 文法

接著是最後一道縫製工序。

Thaely's laces are also made with recycled plastic.

Thaely的鞋帶也由再生塑膠製成。

This factory employs 170 people and makes shoes for three different companies.

這家工廠僱用170名員工，為三家不同的公司生產鞋子。

We wanted to make sure that we're still using existing sneaker manufacturing techniques. 片語搭配

我們希望確保自己仍在使用現有的運動鞋製造技術。

You know, we didn't want to reinvent the wheel. 慣用語

你知道的，我們不想重新發明輪子。

Nitush turns out 15,000 pairs of shoes every week, 片語動詞

Nitush每週生產1萬5000雙鞋，

and they try to recycle everything,

他們也盡量回收所有材料，

even scraps.

就連邊角料也不例外。

That's recycled and some of it is also reused to make more ThaelyTex sheets.

這些邊角料會被回收，其中一部分也會重複利用，製成更多ThaelyTex薄片。

The tote bag used as packaging is made from four plastic bottles,

用作包裝的托特包由4個寶特瓶製成，

and the shoe box made from recycled paper has seeds in it.

再生紙製鞋盒裡則含有種子。

Customers can cut the box, plant it in soil,

顧客可以剪開鞋盒，把它埋進土裡，

and grow a basil seedling in about two weeks.

大約兩週後就能長出一株羅勒幼苗。

The company sold 300 pairs of sneakers in its first month

公司在開業第一個月賣出300雙運動鞋，

and says the shoes are built to last. 片語搭配

並表示這些鞋很耐穿。

It's extremely durable.

它非常耐用。

It lasts like any other sneaker for about two to three years,

和其他運動鞋一樣，它能穿大約兩到三年，

depending on how it is used. 文法

視使用方式而定。

But can a small company like this compete with worldwide brands?

但這樣一家小公司能與全球品牌競爭嗎？

Several have launched shoes from recycled plastic in recent years.

近年來，已有多個品牌推出以再生塑膠製成的鞋。

Nike launched the Space Hippie,

Nike推出了Space Hippie，

a shoe made with recycled materials in June 2020.

這款以再生材料製成的鞋於2020年6月上市。

Adidas makes a shoe that incorporates ocean plastic.

Adidas生產了一款採用海洋塑膠製成的鞋。

The company says it will produce 17 million pairs of them in 2021.

該公司表示，2021年將生產1700萬雙這種鞋。

That means it's likely that a global brand like Adidas 表達脈絡

這表示，Adidas這類全球品牌很可能

sold more recycled sneakers in an hour 文法

在一小時內賣出的再生材料運動鞋，

than Thaely has sold since the company launched.

就比Thaely自創立以來賣出的總量還多。

But Bhave is undeterred.

但Bhave並未因此卻步。

And he says the business is already profitable.

他還表示，這門生意已經開始獲利。

This is a project that is going to fund itself. 用詞

這個計畫將能自行支應所需經費。

And at the same time,

與此同時，

it's going to help enrich the lives of the sanitation workers

它也能改善清潔人員的生活，

that we work with and you know,

也就是那些與我們合作的清潔人員，同時，你知道的，

the factory that we work with.

也會讓與我們合作的工廠受益。

Bhave got the idea for Thaely when he was in business school.

Bhave在商學院就讀時萌生了創辦Thaely的想法。

We had a Shark Tank-like competition in my university, 文化背景

我們大學舉辦了一場類似《Shark Tank》的競賽，

and I had this opportunity to

我因此有機會

make my design project into a real business idea. 文法

把自己的設計專案變成一個真正的商業構想。

He says private investors funded the launch of his business.

他表示，私人投資人為公司啟動提供了資金。

The name of the Y2K Pro shoe is a reference to the early 2000s. 文化背景

Y2K Pro這款鞋的名稱源自2000年代初期。

He was inspired by basketball and skate shoes from that era,

他的靈感來自那個年代的籃球鞋和滑板鞋，

even though at that time he had a toddler-sized foot. 用詞

儘管當時他的腳還只有幼兒般大小。

It seems like Thaely is on to something with the idea of how to add value to discarded bags. 講解

看來，Thaely找到了利用廢棄塑膠袋創造附加價值的好方法。

Starting in September 2021,

從2021年9月起，

Indian authorities required all plastic bag makers to manufacture thicker bags. 文法

印度當局要求所有塑膠袋製造商生產更厚的袋子。

The idea is that more durable bags are easier to recycle 文法

其理念是，更耐用的袋子更容易回收，

and that rag pickers will be more likely to collect them. 文法

拾荒者也會更願意收集它們。

And once a customer is through with a Thaely sneaker, 片語動詞

當顧客不再穿Thaely運動鞋時，

Bhave says they can send it back to the company for a discount. 片語動詞

Bhave表示，他們可以把鞋寄回公司換取折扣。

This allows us to responsibly recycle them. 文法

這樣我們就能以負責任的方式回收這些鞋。

We refurbish them

我們會將它們整修翻新，

and we're donating them to charities and refugee camps.

再捐給慈善機構與難民營。