12 months ago the team behind 100 TREE FURNITURE had no idea they would be in the sustainable furniture business. Instead, they were raising investment in Silicon Valley for a technology start-up targeting the recruitment sector. When Covid19 struck it caused a considerable slowdown in the recruitment sector and left the founders with some unexpected free-time.
One of the founders, Ferdia, had always experienced lower back pain from working on a laptop all day. He realised at the end of a yoga session that lying on the ground was extremely comfortable and back-pain free. Using his background in architecture and woodworking, he came up with the first ever lie-down laptop stand three years ago. This laptop stand allowed him to work while lying down and improved his spine’s health.
Ferdia spent most of the last three years working from home on this stand and was comfortable doing so. When the pandemic hit he saw that a lot of his friends were struggling to get a flexible WFH office setup. He knew he could help them and started 100 Tree Furniture. The company has three primary goals; to save space, to save people’s posture and to save the environment.
WFH requires rooms to have dual functionality, i.e. a bedroom becomes a temporary office and then becomes a bedroom again. Therefore, all 100 Tree workstations were designed to be assembled or taken apart and stored away again in less than 60 seconds without anytools, screws or glue, creating a “pop-up office” when needed.Working in comfort and protecting ones posture was also a critical concern. 100 Tree workstations allow customers to work while sitting, standing or lying down. This combination of positions encourages movement and takes pressure off the spine throughout the day.
Finally, and most importantly of all, 100 Tree Furniture aims to actively fight against climate change. Inspired by the likes of Ecosia, the founders wanted to create a business that does more. Every item sold on the site plants 100 trees. Over their lifecycle, these trees will take out the emissions of a car driving 30,000km;that’s over 2 laps of the Earth’s equator! 100 Tree Furniture also use a local manufacturer, recycled and recyclable packaging and only ever uses sustainably sourced timber with FSC accreditation.
100 Tree Furniture has recently started shipping their products to customers who pre-ordered them. Next up, the team are looking to partner with environmentally-conscious companies to sell their desks as a B2B product. Post Covid, employers are likely to operate a hybrid working model where employees spend some days in the office each week. This requires more open, collaboration-focused offices. The team at 100 Tree Furniture believes that employers will need to make their spaces flexible to accommodate surges in demand and see their desks as the perfect solution; just pop them up on days when the office is full and store them away when they are not required.
2021 looks bright!
