Is the FridayBOX perfectly sustainable?
Unfortunately not! But we are on the way! We are aware of the following aspects:
The plywood
Plywood is a really great material, but not yet completely free of plastics. The usual gluing systems count as plastics and amount to 3-5% of the weight of the sheet. The industry is working on alternative glues but as far as we know they are not yet market-ready. Of course we keep an eye out for new technology and materials but until then we are excited to share our nice foldable box with you, which is made mainly out of wood. At least: the issue of formaldehyd emissions coming off wooden materials is managed properly by the industry after the scandals back in the 80s [https://utopia.de/ikea-kinderzimmer-im-test-wie-giftig-sind-die-ausduenstungen-124679/]
The energy balance of plywood is also not perfect as gluing and pressing or the veneer layers need energy of course – but solid wood is also mostly dampened and dried under high energy input. And as plywood is coming in sheets we can take care to produce as little cutting scraps as possible.
When sawing solid wood there often is a lot of cut off and waste. To get plywood the logs are being peeled off from the outside; similar to sharpening pencils. That way most of the log can be used. Also because less beautiful parts of the wood can be hidden on the inside of the sheet.
The FridayBOX and the peace
Plywood are produced worldwide, mainly made from typical types of wood from the particular region. E.g. poplar plywood in Italy, beech plywood in the middle of Europe and birch plywood in the north of Europe Already in 2021 the wood market was turbulent in terms of pricing and availability. Therefore we were happy to get our hands on a pallete of Russian birch plywood on February 18th, 2022, for the first production batch. Adequate quality (BB/BB), available instantly, reasonable pricing and with a FSC-Mix-certificate. Some days later it became clear that from now on we will only buy birch plywood sheets produced in the EU as our contribution to peace. Anyway as long as we can get that at all and at a realistic pricing. Or maybe another type of wood …
The next palettes purchased and processed since February 2023 are coming from Latvia.
The scent of the oil
The linseed oil for the FridayBOX comes mainly from conventional aagriculture, the orange oil is produced in Spain. Both type of oils smell and scent for some time; for some this is an additional charming aspect . Besides the scent the oil can also permeate into other things that lie int the box or on which it stands. So be careful especially in the first days and weeks with delicate textiles, expensive carpets and important papers.
Who doesn’t like the scent or needs to transport sensitive materials has two options: wait for the oil to dry or order an unoiled box and decide for yourself what kind of finish you like to apply.
Our Workshop
The FridayBOX has been invented and is developed further in the Projekt-Zentrale in Dormagen Delrath. Here we use fair eco-power produced by Bürgerwerke Genossenschaft and artisan roasted coffee. The commute is made by bike; not optimal is the heating powered by oil. Out landlord has already invested in properly isolated windows.
Is the FridayBOX certified?
Until now we are not certified but we are keeping an eye on it. But we like it even more to gain your trust by being transparent.
At the moment we use the following materials:
- Plywood Birch FSC-Mix SGSCH-COC-050239 (one pallete 2022)
- Plywood Birch from Latvia (since February 2023)
- Solid Birch Wood sourced from the local wood dealer
- Wood Pegs (Beech) from Austria
- Linseed oil from German production
- Orange oil from Spain (since April 2023)
- Galvanized Steel Screws ETA-11/0190
In case you have more questions please don’t hesitate to contact us by mail info@friday-box.com or in instagram https://www.instagram.com/friday__box__com/.
FridayBOX, what is important to us
From development to pricing – the FridayBOX stands for transparency and fairness. With us you can find:
- An open ear for whishes and feedback to make the FridayBOX better.
- Natural materials with short delivery distances (more…)
- Reparing opportunities – by offering spare parts we stand up to the trend of dumoing things quickly (more…)
- Real and transparent pricing – no threshold prices, cross prices, special offer discounts and other consumer manipulation
- Cradle to Cradle Principle
- Availability – by offering cost-efficient sets for DIY (sanding, designing and assembling (coming soon)
- Accessible – can be handled and carried with one hand
- When packaging is needed – we use recycled cardboard packaging
The most sustainable thing would be not to buy it …
Our contribution to the planet is smart products that leave as little trace as possible. For us sustainablity and fairness is also that we don’t want to convince you to consume in abundance: when you don’t need the FridayBOX better don’t buy it! Think about it and try the foldable box beforehand. The best way is to visit one of the local dealers.
“Re-Use”
In case you don’t need you box anymore we are happy to help you finding a new home for it. An email to info@friday-box.com is enough!
