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Not buying the 'environmentally friendly' marketing pitch... The idea that just because something can be thrown in the recycling doesn't mean it's better than

Not buying the 'environmentally friendly' marketing pitch... The idea that just because something can be thrown in the recycling doesn't mean it's better than a traditional wooden desk.

FuriouslyAdrift 11y ago
Good luck find actual solid wood (that isn't extremely expensive). Most office furniture that is 'wood' is actually pressed laminate... AKA pressed together recycled paper or cardboard. We found that out when a desk at work needed to be shortened so they sawed into it and found honeycomb board (which we sell) with laminated paper on the top and bottom coated by vinyl wood grain. That was a $750 desk from Office Depot. We try to get pine as it's usually the most affordable solid wood, but it's really soft and doesn't hold up. Oak and other hardwoods are usually sourced over seas and not sustainably grown.
- radiorental 11y ago
  I hear what you're saying about wood v. particle board. I think you may have missed my point though. A ceramic mug isn't recyclable but after 18 uses it's more environmentally responsible than a paper cup. I don't think these desks will take off. But a hunch based on a rough comparison to the ceramic/paper cup usage (which has been examined to death) tells me that even a cheap IKEA particle/laminate desk is going to be more 'environmental responsible' than a cardboard desk in the recycling stream after limited usage.
FuriouslyAdrift 11y ago
Corrugated is the most recycled material behind glass and aluminum. It gets used over and over. Source: I work at a corrugated plant. If anyone involved with the company sees this, we would love to manufacture this for US distribution. We're right in the middle of the country and own or own trucking company.
- teh_klev 11y ago
  Just curious, as someone in the corrugated industry, do you think they're pushing their luck with the price?
  - FuriouslyAdrift 11y ago
    I sent the site over to our lead designer. He wants to crank one out on our prototyping table in the next couple of days to try it out. We may be able to figure pricing pretty easy. It's two medium-ish sheets of double wall so board cost probably is less than $50 even with the laminating. The rest is all the variable costs.. labor, production, transport, and the SGA. They could go lower but at the moment I imagine they don't have the scale to get the costs lower and their market isn't established yet. $250 is definitely cheaper than the standup desks we have - those things are pricey. Really anything marketed as office furniture is over priced. For home or SOHO, I think it's value is for more of a novelty or for making your office stand out. Kind of like those ridiculously over priced Herman Miller chairs...
  - cableshaft 11y ago
    At $250, it's basically the same price as a wooden desk (in fact, I bought a tempered glass + wood desk at 40% of this desk's price) so they have to be pushing their luck there. If it really costs that much, then it's not such a great deal after all. If it was around $60...maybe $75... I would have seriously considered getting one, though.
- radiorental 11y ago
  I get that, I'm just comparing it to something that's manufactured & transported once. Cradle to grave. Just saying that because something is recyclable it is therefore good for the environment is marketing fluff. For example, ~18 uses of a ceramic cup = 1 'recyclable' paper cup. https://www.quora.com/Which-one-is-a-more-environment-friendly-solution-paper-cups-which-wastes-paper-or-washable-mugs-which-wastes-water-when-washing https://www.quora.com/Which-one-is-a-more-environment-friend...
  - FuriouslyAdrift 11y ago

Not buying the 'environmentally friendly' marketing pitch... The idea that just because something can be thrown in the recycling doesn't mean it's better than a traditional wooden desk.

FuriouslyAdrift 11y ago

Good luck find actual solid wood (that isn't extremely expensive). Most office furniture that is 'wood' is actually pressed laminate... AKA pressed together recycled paper or cardboard. We found that out when a desk at work needed to be shortened so they sawed into it and found honeycomb board (which we sell) with laminated paper on the top and bottom coated by vinyl wood grain. That was a $750 desk from Office Depot. We try to get pine as it's usually the most affordable solid wood, but it's really soft and doesn't hold up. Oak and other hardwoods are usually sourced over seas and not sustainably grown.

radiorental 11y ago
I hear what you're saying about wood v. particle board. I think you may have missed my point though. A ceramic mug isn't recyclable but after 18 uses it's more environmentally responsible than a paper cup. I don't think these desks will take off. But a hunch based on a rough comparison to the ceramic/paper cup usage (which has been examined to death) tells me that even a cheap IKEA particle/laminate desk is going to be more 'environmental responsible' than a cardboard desk in the recycling stream after limited usage.

FuriouslyAdrift 11y ago

Corrugated is the most recycled material behind glass and aluminum. It gets used over and over. Source: I work at a corrugated plant. If anyone involved with the company sees this, we would love to manufacture this for US distribution. We're right in the middle of the country and own or own trucking company.

teh_klev 11y ago
Just curious, as someone in the corrugated industry, do you think they're pushing their luck with the price?
- FuriouslyAdrift 11y ago
  I sent the site over to our lead designer. He wants to crank one out on our prototyping table in the next couple of days to try it out. We may be able to figure pricing pretty easy. It's two medium-ish sheets of double wall so board cost probably is less than $50 even with the laminating. The rest is all the variable costs.. labor, production, transport, and the SGA. They could go lower but at the moment I imagine they don't have the scale to get the costs lower and their market isn't established yet. $250 is definitely cheaper than the standup desks we have - those things are pricey. Really anything marketed as office furniture is over priced. For home or SOHO, I think it's value is for more of a novelty or for making your office stand out. Kind of like those ridiculously over priced Herman Miller chairs...
- cableshaft 11y ago
  At $250, it's basically the same price as a wooden desk (in fact, I bought a tempered glass + wood desk at 40% of this desk's price) so they have to be pushing their luck there. If it really costs that much, then it's not such a great deal after all. If it was around $60...maybe $75... I would have seriously considered getting one, though.
radiorental 11y ago
I get that, I'm just comparing it to something that's manufactured & transported once. Cradle to grave. Just saying that because something is recyclable it is therefore good for the environment is marketing fluff. For example, ~18 uses of a ceramic cup = 1 'recyclable' paper cup. https://www.quora.com/Which-one-is-a-more-environment-friendly-solution-paper-cups-which-wastes-paper-or-washable-mugs-which-wastes-water-when-washing https://www.quora.com/Which-one-is-a-more-environment-friend...
- FuriouslyAdrift 11y ago