Waste is just a resource in the wrong hands: sustainability and the circular economy

Nirali Patel

14 Sep 2020

Goldfinger Factory is an award-winning social enterprise combining a furniture showroom, community café, woodworking workshop and teaching platform in west London. Its co-founder and CEO Marie Cudennec will be speaking at Taggstar’s upcoming webinar ‘Will the impact of COVID-19 slow down or speed up retailing’s sustainability journey?’ on 23 June.

Our mission is to show the world that high-end design can and should be planet and people positive. At the heart of the Goldfinger Factory business model is the idea that there is inherent potential in everything and everyone. That waste is just a resource in the wrong hands.

Historically, there’s never been homogeneity or efficiency in collecting and processing waste materials. Which means it’s just easier to buy new. One solution is a new kind of organization, a new type of intermediary that locates, collects and processes waste material, so it can be used to make new things. If we are to make progress in building a more sustainable economy, this thinking and practice needs to become the norm.

We have a sustainability intermediary partner at Goldfinger Factory. Trees in London that fall down or get cut down are usually just turned into chippings. Our partner collects the felled timber, stores, dries and seasons it so the wood can be used to make new products – in our case, furniture and home accessories. The finished item has sustainable provenance, has a story to tell. Customers really like that.

The big challenge is to find a way to scale this process. With few exceptions, most of the players are small enterprises. But there’s definitely an interest in the circular economy from big name businesses. For example, just as we went into lockdown Goldfinger launched a new range of desks, crafted from cedar gifted to us from Harvey Nichols, reclaimed from its 2019 Christmas window displays.

For too long, economic forces have pushed people and businesses to reject resources considered ‘not good enough’. However, the pandemic has shone a light on the vulnerability of international supply chains and sourcing materials from closer to home, for a smaller environmental footprint will be a more sustainable choice for many companies.

Goldfinger Factory CEO Marie Cudennec will be speaking at Taggstar’s upcoming webinar ‘Will the impact of COVID-19 slow down or speed up retailing’s sustainability journey?’ on 23 June. On behalf of everyone who joins the webinar, Taggstar will make a donation to the People’s Kitchen//To Your Door initiative in North Kensington, which delivers delicious hot meals to vulnerable local people. Thank you in advance for your support.

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