Why I do what I do

What is green furniture? I asked myself this question back in 2012 when I began my journey towards becoming a green carpenter.

My parents founded a furniture factory in 1993. Back in those days, the business focused greatly on manufacturing conventional furniture for offices and schools and since age 10, I had become a regular visitor of the factory. During school holidays, while most kids typically spent their free time playing and messing around, my situation was the opposite – I had to work. My father expected me to follow him to the factory to familiarise myself with the machines, the operations, the people. I used to dread my school vacation routine and quietly resented my parents for not letting me have a normal childhood but at age 35, I now see the value in the exposure that my parents provided me.

After graduating in 2008, I officially joined the family business, went for professional training and delved deeper into the industry. I had the opportunity to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds and I also worked on managing both small to large scale interior projects.

But by 2012, I started to question myself:

We are doing what everybody else are doing. Is this the direction that I want to continue with?

When I’m on my deathbed, how will I look back at my life? Will I leave the world happy? Will I leave a better world for my children to live in?

Woodworking, especially in Malaysia and other south-east Asian regions have been linked to illegal logging and unsustainable practices. Is there a better way to move forward?

It was a time of reflection and confusion in my life as I began to notice a lot of challenges within the industry. Here are the top 3 issues that kept me awake at night:

1.     There is a lot of waste being created by the wood industry

2.     Poor monitoring of material sourcing in the local industry had created a negative perception among western countries towards Malaysia’s sourcing of timber and management of forests.

3.     Illegal loggings and land management

From my findings, what I found was injustice.

As cheesy as it sounds, I was brought up by comic books so I always wanted to be a superhero.

Because what did they stand for? Justice.

That is when I found clarity. I decided to put sustainability at the heart of what I do, and to give justice and respect to the natural resources we use.

Ever since then, I have strived to make products that help people to work, live and feel better. And I also want to inspire other businesses and individuals to adopt healthier choices through sustainable consumption.

With an increasing shift towards conscious buying, capitalism can be tamed from being something that destroys humanity to something that can help humanity thrive.

And so with that, I leave you with my superhero motto, a tagline I regularly wear & carry on the back of my uniform T-shirt every day when going to the factory. My life’s goal – Saving the world, one piece at a time. 

-       Harith Green Carpenter