The world has become rather scary with ecological imbalance wreaking natural havoc every year. In such a time, it is vital to switch to sustainable practices in how we make and consume things. To that accord, Italian startup VAIA has been giving a new life to storm-felled forests in the form of sustainable home accessories. Its VAIA Cube, Focus, and People are three accessories made from wood recovered from the forests in the Dolomites, Italy that were hit by the Vaia storm in 2018.
Federico Stefani founded the B Corp startup after seeing the devastation by the storm Vaia. Embracing ethical practices, the startup involves local artisans and young people to give new value to reclaimed material. Not only that, the green brand plants a tree for every sale in storm-hit forests to maintain a circular economy principle.
The VAIA lineup includes Cube, a powerless loudspeaker; Focus, a visual amplifier for smartphones; and People, a trio of charging docks for smartphones, earphones, and Apple Watch. Each is made from either felled tree wood or bark beetle-infested wood.
The Cube is a wooden loudspeaker that functions without electricity. This wireless smartphone speaker is made from reclaimed spruce wood to realize the sound. Since each piece is handcrafted from wood, no two speakers are alike in their wood texture and grain.
The Cube is compact, lightweight, and portable. The cube only measures 10 cm³ and weighs about 1 lb. It has a slot carved out for placing smartphones. As you play something on your phone, the speaker uses wood as a resonating body to amplify sound. It can output 30 to 50 decibels of sound amplification.
There is another version of the Cube called Cube Joy. It comes in a palette inspired by shades of nature including oranges, ash, hay, and coal. The colored version enhances the wood grain in a more nuanced way.
Also Read: 20+ Ways to Get Creative with Reclaimed Wood
VAIA Focus is designed to be a smartphone screen amplifier. It combines fir wood and the Fresnel optical lens to enlarge the screen of your smartphone while keeping the visual quality intact.
The third eco-conscious product of the lineup is called People: It is a trio of docking stations for smartphones, earphones, and Apple watches. This accessory was developed in collaboration with 200 students from the Scuola Italiana Design and made by local craftsmen from reclaimed forest wood.
VAIA strives to maintain a circular economy in its production. It plants a tree in Italian forests as a regenerative practice for every sale, showing the world that production and consumption don’t have to be destructive to nature.
