ChopValue Founder and CEO Felix Böck
Having spent over ten years in the bamboo composite manufacturing industry, Felix Böck saw first-hand the amount of chopstick waste generated.
He sensed a business opportunity there.
That was his motivation to start ChopValue in 2016.
“I started ChopValue when I tried to apply wood engineering to tackle the wood and construction waste in Vancouver, Canada,” he says.
ChopValue designs and manufactures products using an innovative, high-performance material engineered from recycled chopsticks. It follows a decentralised micro-factory approach, wherein it uses local resources for local production to meet local demand and enables small business owners to own local ChopValue franchises.
The recycling process
The company collects chopsticks from local restaurants and partners.
The recycling process starts at the micro-factory with sorting and alignment. After being sorted according to sizes, the chopsticks are dipped into a toxin-free, water-based resin. No water is wasted throughout the process as the chopsticks are not washed.
To sanitise them and remove any contaminants, the chopsticks are baked under high heat and pressure. During this process, the resin undergoes a chemical reaction that activates the strong binding properties that strengthen the tiles.
This process transforms the chopsticks into an engineered raw material that will then be standardised to design and build a range of furniture products suitable for different types of customers, from individuals to businesses.
“We have recycled and upcycled 100 million chopsticks and turned them into pieces of furniture and home elements, including tables, side tables, shelves, and height-adjustable desks,” he claims.
The company opened its Singapore office in the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak where it has upcycled almost 10 million chopsticks to date.
Also Read: ChopValue scores US$7.7M funding to recycle chopsticks into furniture, home elements
“Since the launch of our franchise expansion philosophy in 2020, the brand grew from our initial location in Vancouver to over 60 locations globally,” adds Böck.
Environmentally sustainable
ChopValue’s business model is built with the circular economy in mind — where waste resources are reintroduced into the economy. “Our manufacturing process ‘locks up carbon’ for years to come. It has also been carefully tweaked to ensure that the process emits as little carbon as possible, uses as little water as possible, and with zero toxin usage,” says Böck.
A woman with the products manufactured by ChopValue
Furthermore, the cut-offs generated through the manufacturing process are saved and later reused to produce other smaller products. In addition, the sawdust generated from sanding the products is collected and reused as wood filler. The oils used to finish the final products are vegetable-based and environmentally friendly.
The company claims to have stored over 136,000+kg of carbon into new products from material collected by 1,700+ community restaurant partners.
Empowering small business owners
The company’s franchise model is designed to be a turnkey solution for entrepreneurs looking to start their businesses while also contributing to the reduction of waste in their communities.
“When you want to become a ChopValue franchisee, you receive a comprehensive training programme, ongoing support, and access to a proven business model that helps you build a successful and sustainable enterprise. This model aligns with our goal of creating a global network of sustainable businesses that can positively impact the environment while providing economic opportunities to local communities,” he elaborates.
ChopValue has recently signed strategic growth agreements for market entries into Japan, Singapore, Central Europe, and the US.
In Singapore, ChopValue works with some popular restaurant chains for its recycling programmes.
The firm’s B2B clients include JLL, MBS, and Google Offices.
Tiding over the pandemic
The pandemic was hard for ChopValue; the dine-in restrictions during the outbreak affected the supply of chopsticks as most of its collection partners were restaurants. However, its community leads continued to sign up more partners to maintain the volume of collected chopsticks required for production. The efforts paid off; when the restrictions were lifted, the company saw a significant increase in volume based on an expanded network.
During this time, ChopValue also established partnerships with major hospitality chains and retailers, including Nordstrom, Hudson Bay, and London Drugs in North America, with growing interests in value-aligned, local, and sustainable products.
“Overall, we grew our business during the pandemic by capitalising on changes in consumer behaviour towards making more environmentally friendly and sustainable purchases,” he adds.
ChopValue recently announced closing a US$7.7 million funding round. According to Böck, the capital will help it expand its operations, particularly to serve its B2B partnerships. The focus will be on increasing production capacity and developing new product lines.
The startup also plans to invest in R&D to optimise its micro-manufacturing principles and continue to reduce its environmental footprint.
Besides, ChopValue is looking to expand to 100-plus new locations in the near term. It recently hired a corporate team which will work locally to boost the demand in the APAC region.
“We want to create impact location by location, one chopstick at a time,” Böck concludes.
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