Refold is commercialising recyclable, foldable desks.
Refold, a furniture design spin-out of Massey University, has developed a cardboard desk which can be folded up, is portable and fully recyclable while being sturdy enough to hold the weight of a person.
The desk was developed by visual communication design graduates Fraser Callaway and Oliver Ward. Their aim was to build a lightweight, recyclable solution for office furniture. It consists of four parts which fit and hold together without the need for tools or glue.
The company, based in Wellington, is now looking towards Kickstarter to crowdfund the full-scale commercialisation. As of the time of writing (October 9, 2014) it has raised NZ$22,465 ($17,790) out of a needed NZ$25,000 ($19,800). The individual cost of a desk is NZ$160 ($125).
The Kickstarter is being run in collaboration with Unicef New Zealand so that supporters can pledge money to have a desk sent to a school. Massey University itself has bought 50 desks for staff across its three campuses.
Russell Wilson, manager of Massey University’s Business Development and Commercialisation, said: “Each year we work with numerous academics and students on intellectual property inquiries to advise on options for protecting design ideas such as the Refold cardboard desk and their potential commercialisation pathways. The thing that sets Fraser and Oliver up for commercial success, apart from a great product concept, has been the drive that they have brought to their enterprise.”
