Storm to Sustainability: A Startup’s Journey of Forest Regeneration in Italian Dolomites
Italian B Corp VAIA turns storm-felled trees into eco-friendly home accessories
Climate change is reshaping life on the planet with natural disasters becoming more rampant and frequent. Under these circumstances, it’s vital to think of ingenious ways to seek and bring about ecological balance by restoring and regenerating ecosystems. A man alone cannot achieve this, but one step in the right direction can garner community collaboration leading to a movement emphasizing the circular economy, craftsmanship, and regeneration. This story is of Federico Stefani, a man who sought to revive the storm-destroyed forests in Italian Dolomites while using storm-felled trees to create sustainable home accessories.
After the Dolomites were hit by the storm VAIA in 2018, one of Italy’s most catastrophic forest disasters in the past 50 years with over 42 million trees destroyed, Stefani founded the startup VAIA a year later. The venture is committed to bringing local craftsmen and young people together in a bid to establish a circular economy while restoring the Alpine forests south of the Dolomites by planting native trees. The firm aims to replant the 7,000 trees destroyed in the intense Mediterranean storm.
Image: VAIA
Image: VAIA
The startup has been transforming reclaimed wood from destroyed forests into eco-friendly design products. One of its most renowned products is the VAIA Cube, a natural sound amplifier for smartphones. The Cube is entirely handmade from recovered wood of storm-felled trees. Each Cube is unique and has a natural grain of wood.
Image: VAIA
The current VAIA lineup includes Cube, the powerless sound amplifier; Focus, a visual amplifier for smartphones; and People, a trio of charging docks for smartphones, earphones, and Apple Watch. Each is made from either felled tree wood or bark beetle-infested wood.
But that is not all that VAIA does. The firm also raises public awareness about the importance of sustainability, and the significance of preserving our forests. Moreover, it contributes to the reforestation efforts of the affected areas by planting new trees for every Cube it sells. VAIA is actively helping in the environmental recovery of the damaged regions.
Image: VAIA
Image: VAIA
To further its circular economy efforts, the company employs ethical practices. It involves local artisans in production as the locals have been witness to the forests in their mighty glory and their downfall.
The Green brand is a leading example of how one simple act of kindness toward the environment can help restore the ecosystems and help fight changing climatic conditions. Within two years of its inception, VAIA has planted 5,000 trees in the valleys of Veneto and Trentino. The company aims to replant more trees to restore these forests and help fight climate change.
