You’re probably familiar with the linear economy. It’s when materials are extracted from the Earth and made into products which are then used (sometimes very briefly) before being tossed out once finished.

You might also know this as the “take-make-waste” model. However, continuing this way infinitely when our planet has limited resources contributes to climate change, resource depletion, deforestation, habitat loss, and environmental pollution. We have the responsibility to do better.

Enter the circular economy.

The goal is to eliminate the idea of waste by using what would usually be neglected and avoiding using virgin materials to reduce the stress on our environment. In other words, when a product is finished with its purpose from its initial use, a loop is created with the proper recovery systems to be reused or recycled into something new. This way, we can keep resources in use for as long as possible and extract the most value from the material.

For us, we’ve designed our Microfactory system to create a circular economy from the very beginning. The lifecycle of the chopstick begins when the bamboo is harvested, where bamboo stalks are cut down and manufactured into the utensil as we know it. It then travels halfway across the world to be used for a meal before getting tossed.

Where the fun begins…

We urban harvest the under utilized resource from our collection partners, which range from restaurants, corporate offices, casinos, hotels, and recycling depots, you name it. If there are chopsticks, we’ll add them to our collection route.

The chopsticks are then brought to local ChopValue Microfactories to be transformed for their second life in functional and minimalist sustainable solutions like homeware, decor, and furniture — engineered to last.

And it doesn’t stop there. We further minimize our waste by using our manufacturing off-cuts to design zero-waste products, ranging from larger items like tables and wall features to smaller products like keychains and luggage tags. We also collect the sawdust from sanding our products to be repurposed into wood filler.

The most rewarding part is using our platform to lead by example and inspire the community and other businesses on what other neglected resources can enter the circular economy.

Waste is a human concept, so let’s take inspiration from our natural systems and create solutions to adapt to a circular future.