Second life

A B.C. company has a chic use for discarded chopsticks

While working on his PhD in forestry at the University of British Columbia, Felix Böck started experimenting in the lab with bamboo chopsticks left over from takeout orders (he was eating a lot of sushi at the time). He soon found a way to transform the single-use utensils into coasters and wall panels. Two and a half years later, his company, ChopValue, picks up some 350,000 used chopsticks from more than 100 restaurants in the Vancouver area each week and has added yoga blocks, tables and lighting fixtures to its product line. Wall decor, $195, chopvalue.ca.

UNCOMMON CLOTH

Refining petroleum can be a messy business. But chemists have found a very soft and attractive use for one of its by-products. It turns out that olefin, a polymer that had previously been discarded, makes an incredibly durable, stain-resistant and supple fabric—perfect for pillows and upholstery.

Camino indigo fabric, $30 per yard, tonicliving.ca.

A fresh coat

Toronto-based Homestead House takes a holistic approach to sustainability. Its Fusion Mineral Paint line consists of more than 50 non-toxic, odourless and VOC-, lead-, ammonia- and formaldehyde-free formulas that come in stunning colours, including ultra-pretty pastels and shimmering metallics, all derived from natural minerals. And for its milk paint products, the company recycles 100 percent of its waste water. Fusion Mineral Paint, approx.

$48 per litre, homesteadhouse.ca.