One for the environment
THREE friends, Wallace Fong, Zac Tan and Bryan Chang, are environmentally-conscious watchmakers. Their brand Project Woodworks (projectwoodworks.co), created over two years ago, uses wood waste to make watch cases and bracelets.
“Zac has deep connection with wooden products because he came from a family that used to manufacture wooden antique furniture. Unfortunately, his dad’s business was forced to close down in 2008 because wood prices had drastically increased due to irresponsible and non-sustainable logging practices.
The idea of making products using waste wood was sparked when he was doing research for his final year architecture project,” said Wong.
The friends’ reason behind the endeavour is simple but effective. Every year, billions of trees are cut down and tonnes of unused or waste wood is created. So why not utilise the unused wood to create something beautiful and exclusive, while giving back to the planet at the same time?
Project Woodworks is built upon three pillars of belief – impact, responsibility and sustainability.
The young men have created a movement that involves their consumers in the process of solving social/environmental problems; they design their products based on the virtuous consumption cycle where products are manufactured greenly, fairly and thoughtfully; and they utilise sustainable wood materials to create their products.
Wood is 100% biodegradable and will not compromise the well-being of the planet. The waste wood materials are sourced from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified providers, ensuring that their products come from well-managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.
“We are also up-cycling the local under-utilised wood and turning it into our products, hence reducing the wood waste,” added Wong.
The watches from Project Woodworks are priced between RM300 to RM500 a piece, and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre (TRCRC).
For every watch sold, Project Woodworks will plant, preserve, and nurture one endangered tree species on behalf of the consumer.
“We’re currently developing a system to include coordinates of the planted trees with our collaboration partner TRCRC.
Customers will receive a QR code with the GPS coordinates of the tree planted thanks to their purchase,” said Wong.
“We believe that it is important to change the consumption behaviour of people in Malaysia. People have to be more socially and environmentally conscious when they make purchases, in order to achieve sustainability.”