16 min
Episode 15: Extensive Waste of Materials in the Furniture Industry Design In-Sights
-
- Design
Let’s be honest here and talk about both the furniture and fashion industry. What happens to an item? When an item does not sell, it often gets discounted until it sells as cost, and if it can’t be sold it often gets donated- however many donation centers often refuse them because there is a backlog.
This is different for brands, they will not want their brand and image to be tarnished and to be competing with their own products marked down at significantly lower prices . Brands are very sensitive about their products showing up at discount and resale shops. Their thoughts are “We’ve spent all this time and money creating this image that we’re an upscale retailer, and now suddenly you can buy our products for 20 percent of the price if you’re just prepared to wait long enough and go to a different outlet store.” So many companies choose to shred, incinerate or simply throw away the stuff they can’t sell. That maybe part of the reason nearly 21 billion pounds of textiles end up in landfills each year, though a lot of that comes from us as customers.
So for the welfare of our planet, Galiatea decided to avoid materials such as plastic or to use factories and large machinery, therefore significantly reducing our footprint. Our goal is to reduce our dependency of these techniques and the use of harmful chemicals and highly processed materials in the production of our products and consequently its pernicious impact on the environment and on those handling it.
Because we care about our earth, our made-to-order model tackles this problem head on. With no stock, we do not need to worry about any unnecessary waste.
We also do so to not waste any of our natural materials. It also would be disrespectful to throw away materials that are often revered in some of our artisan’s cultures such as Alpaca, simply because we need to change a collection.
Just as you may have heard of the term “Fast-fashion”, there is such a thing as “fast-furniture”- companies. This is a term to describe home-goods companies that manufacture many different styles quickly and cheaply with the intent for consumers to purchase a piece of furniture or a decorative seasonal item for a limited time and then easily dispose of it.
What if we created items that didn’t lend themselves to this “throw-away” culture but rather that last years and decades? What if we focused on building things that lasted instead of having the intent of throwing them away after a couple of uses. At Galiatea, that is our commitment, we are building items that you will love and last for years to come.
Learn more: www.galiatea.com
Let’s be honest here and talk about both the furniture and fashion industry. What happens to an item? When an item does not sell, it often gets discounted until it sells as cost, and if it can’t be sold it often gets donated- however many donation centers often refuse them because there is a backlog.
This is different for brands, they will not want their brand and image to be tarnished and to be competing with their own products marked down at significantly lower prices . Brands are very sensitive about their products showing up at discount and resale shops. Their thoughts are “We’ve spent all this time and money creating this image that we’re an upscale retailer, and now suddenly you can buy our products for 20 percent of the price if you’re just prepared to wait long enough and go to a different outlet store.” So many companies choose to shred, incinerate or simply throw away the stuff they can’t sell. That maybe part of the reason nearly 21 billion pounds of textiles end up in landfills each year, though a lot of that comes from us as customers.
So for the welfare of our planet, Galiatea decided to avoid materials such as plastic or to use factories and large machinery, therefore significantly reducing our footprint. Our goal is to reduce our dependency of these techniques and the use of harmful chemicals and highly processed materials in the production of our products and consequently its pernicious impact on the environment and on those handling it.
Because we care about our earth, our made-to-order model tackles this problem head on. With no stock, we do not need to worry about any unnecessary waste.
We also do so to not waste any of our natural materials. It also would be disrespectful to throw away materials that are often revered in some of our artisan’s cultures such as Alpaca, simply because we need to change a collection.
Just as you may have heard of the term “Fast-fashion”, there is such a thing as “fast-furniture”- companies. This is a term to describe home-goods companies that manufacture many different styles quickly and cheaply with the intent for consumers to purchase a piece of furniture or a decorative seasonal item for a limited time and then easily dispose of it.
What if we created items that didn’t lend themselves to this “throw-away” culture but rather that last years and decades? What if we focused on building things that lasted instead of having the intent of throwing them away after a couple of uses. At Galiatea, that is our commitment, we are building items that you will love and last for years to come.
Learn more: www.galiatea.com
16 min