Scrapile is a furniture company that has created its business model based on the principles of reuse, rediscover, and re-purpose. Wood that is ‘waste’ for other companies is the raw material for scrapile furniture. This has helped in arresting the flow of discarded wood into the landfills while generating innovative products. This benefits Scrapile by allowing them to procure raw materials free of cost for manufacturing furniture, while clients gian from reducing their garbage bill by donating the scrap, and the environment id better off by decreased dumping of waste wood in the landfills.
Innovation
How someone’s waste can be someone else’s treasure is exhibited beautifully in Scrapile’s approach to business. The New York based design group manufactures stylish minimalist tables, benches, shelves and lamps all made out of their signature striated material made out of scrap wood from lumber mills, building companies, and other organizations that discard products made of wood. Hoping to create a positive environmental impact with their work, the organization has developed a unique method of collecting and repurposing discarded scraps of wood from New York's woodworking industry. Scrapile furniture is held together with regular, non-toxic wood glue. They make an effort to use environmentallly friendly finishes, such as Danish-Oil, for most of their products, and are researching water-based and spray-grade finishes. Moreover, each piece is unique and has an embedded sense of history.
The company procures the wood for free because this helps other companies to remove their waste. Most lumber companies throw out great materials because they simply don’t have any way of reusing them. The scraps of wood just pile up and become a menace.
By donating the wood to Scrapile, the company saves money on its trash hauling costs. Currently Scrapile picks up scrap wood from about 5-8 different shops on a regular basis. Other pickups come from e-mails to them by people wanting to donate the scraps rather than pay for trash hauling.
Being faced by their own scarp generated by furniture manufacturing, Scrapile innovatively uses the second round of scrap by making lamps, lights, and other such products hoping to one day be 100% recyclable by finding use of sawdust.
Impact
Scrapile attempts to recycle everything back into the system. In addition to keeping landfills freer of the discarded wood, they have been able to generate a consciousness in the community that woods can be recycled to create aesthetically pleasing furniture and similar products that not only creates a thriving business but helps the environment.
Inspiration
The realization that furniture manufacturing generally operates at an industry standard that is very environmentally unfriendly and the determination to make a difference was the impetus behind creation of Scrapile. By generating a profitable business model based on turning the old into new, the company has taken the spirit of rediscover, reuse, and recycle to greater heights.
The World Inquiry editorial team edited this profile from the original submission of the interviewer or other source. The views expressed do not necessarily represent Case Western Reserve University, the Weatherhead School of Management or the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. More >>
