Aaron Arthur Foeste, Arthur Zaaro
“I think it’s both hopeful and frustrating to see how many people care and want to do something about the climate crisis, but, at the same time they don’t know what they can do as an individual.”
Aaron Foeste of Arthur Zaaro has always put sustainability at the forefront of his business — for over a decade, his carpentry business has produced handcrafted cutting boards and dining tables from branches cut from our city trees. Not only does the company not contribute to deforestation, but they produce entirely locally to further minimise their carbon footprint.
Turning cut trees and branches from local landscaping work into handcrafted wooden furniture.
Arthur, can you walk us through what the sourcing and production process is like for your company?
It’s a very long process with complicated logistics. Singapore is an ultra-modern city known for tech and finance, but not carpentry. Even though there are tens of tonnes of trees and branches cut here daily, it is nowhere near enough to justify opening even one timber processing plant. As a result, since everything has to be done manually, it takes a lot more work to take a freshly cut tree, remove the leaves and bark, and cut, stack, and dry it.
One of the first things people wonder when they hear we source our wood locally is whether the process is even legal. I can assure you that it is! We buy our trees from cutting contractors. They factor in the possibility of selling some of the wood into their cutting cost, and as a result, charge the owners less for the cutting. Long before we even get involved, NParks checks and approves the cutting, following which there is a bidding process involving the contractors.
In some cases, when branches are being cut for safety reasons — for example, a big branch growing out over the highway — the tree from which we make, say, a cutting board, might actually still be alive and well. However, in most other cases, the wood is obtained from trees which have to be cut down because of urban development or because they’re in danger of falling. In these cases, if the trees are wide enough, we can make solid slab dining tables and benches from them. It’s really rare to see such products made out of these high-quality hardwoods, especially ones sourced from Singapore.
What sparked your interest in making use of local wood?
Singapore is known to have lots of trees and greenery but not a lot of people know that the trees are African Mahogany and Angsana. When landscaping work is being carried out around the city, it is actually some of the world’s best hardwoods that are being cut down. The reality is that these trees are of such high quality that they’ve even become endangered in their natural habitats due to over-cutting. It seems crazy to cut down trees here and grind them into fertilisers or dispose of them while simultaneously importing wood from Indonesia or other places undergoing massive natural habitat destruction or deforestation.
“It seems crazy to cut down trees here and grind them into fertilisers or dispose of them while simultaneously importing wood from Indonesia or other places undergoing massive natural habitat destruction or deforestation.”
You also sell custom furniture. Do you think customisation services play a big role in promoting sustainable shopping practices?
Customisation promotes sustainability because it doesn’t involve processes such as shipping and packing. So the production cycle generally incurs a much smaller footprint with regard to fuel and other waste. Also, custom work is more likely to be valued and kept (or sold or given away) than modular furniture that is usually thrown away.
Finally, you also conduct workshops and classes! Have you noticed a shift in response to environmental sustainability in recent years?
I haven’t noticed much of a shift in concern about sustainability, but there’s been a very noticeable increase in people taking action, or trying to make a change in recent times. I think it’s both hopeful and frustrating to see how many people care and want to do something about the climate crisis, but, at the same time don’t know what they can do as an individual, or in the worst cases, are misled by the corporations most responsible for the damage.
Designer Conversations is an interview series done in collaboration with Public Culture, an editorial experience studio that believes in connection over communication. This feature was photographed by Christopher Wong for Boutique Fairs Singapore and Public Culture.