At an age when most teenagers focus on exams and social media, Ritvi Jain, a Grade 10 student at Modern School, Vasant Vihar, is tackling one of India’s biggest environmental challenges. Through her initiative SansaarSite, she is reshaping how India manages construction waste and prioritizes worker safety.
Transforming Waste Into Purpose
Her project, Suraksha Soles, turns discarded PVC debris from construction sites into durable, low-cost safety footwear for labourers. It’s a model that protects both workers and the environment, blending creativity, sustainability, and empathy.
The idea came from Ritvi’s own observations. Growing up near construction zones, she often saw piles of PVC pipes and cables dumped or burned, while workers went barefoot. “It seemed wrong that one problem couldn’t help solve the other,” she said. That simple thought sparked a powerful idea — using waste to create protection.
Recognizing the Scale of the Challenge
India’s construction sector produces 10–15 million tonnes of waste every year, much of it non-recycled PVC. Simultaneously, over 71 million workers earn their livelihoods in this industry, yet six out of ten lack proper safety gear. Employers typically spend ₹1,500–₹5,000 per worker on equipment annually, often settling for poor-quality footwear because of tight budgets. This reality inspired Ritvi to seek a smarter, more sustainable solution.
Creating a Circular-Economy Model
To address the problem, Ritvi launched SansaarSite, a platform dedicated to promoting sustainability through upcycling and recycling. Its first initiative, Suraksha Soles, applies a circular-economy model that converts PVC waste into affordable, steel-toe gumboots for construction workers.
Working closely with Lancer Shoes, Ritvi designed a production system where teams collect PVC scrap from building sites, clean it, and shred it into granules. These are processed into pellets that form the base material for the new boots. Every pair undergoes rigorous strength and durability testing before distribution — often sold at half the market cost.
A Loop That Never Breaks
Unlike typical recycling efforts, Suraksha Soles follows a closed-loop approach. When the boots reach the end of their life cycle, workers return them to the factory. The steel toe caps are reused, and the PVC is reprocessed with 20 percent fresh material to maintain quality. This system ensures that each component lives on, preventing waste from reaching landfills.
Proving Impact Through Results
Ritvi tested her idea through a pilot project in Sector 57, Gurgaon, and achieved impressive results:
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97 pairs of gumboots produced
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120 kilograms of PVC waste reused
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Cost per pair: ₹570
The pilot showed that sustainability and safety can coexist. Workers received strong, affordable protection, and employers cut costs while supporting an eco-friendly initiative. Moreover, the project reduced the burning of PVC waste, cutting harmful emissions and microplastic pollution.
Expanding Step by Step
So far, Suraksha Soles has partnered with two construction sites, and Ritvi plans to add four more by year-end. Each partnership helps her multiply the project’s impact, engaging local communities and inspiring contractors to rethink their waste management practices.
Balancing School and Sustainability
What makes Ritvi’s journey extraordinary is her ability to balance academics with social innovation. Between school assignments and project meetings, she continues to refine her business model, design prototypes, and coordinate production timelines. Teachers describe her as “relentlessly driven and deeply curious,” while partners praise her professionalism and purpose.
Through SansaarSite, Ritvi envisions a future where the construction industry grows responsibly, ensuring that sustainability becomes the norm — not the exception.
Inspiring Change, One Step at a Time
As Ritvi says, “Every step taken in a pair of Suraksha Soles is a step toward sustainability.” Her project doesn’t just recycle waste — it inspires an entire industry to walk lighter on the planet.
At a time when climate anxiety overshadows progress, Ritvi Jain stands as proof that meaningful change starts small. Her work is a reminder that innovation and compassion, when combined, can turn the world’s waste into its greatest opportunity.
