SalvoFAIR: From Green Works to Ikea

Arriving at Green Works in Wembley, Mark rolls over a piece of old desktop in the warehouse . . .

. . . and it is transformed into RE-DESK flooring, a brand new innovative reused flooring product which will be launched at the Salvo Fair.

Job done. Mark heads off towards north Wembley. Steady on, that first roll of the day is always a bit tricky.

Mark reaches the Neasden temple. Are there are any fair trade Indian flagstones there, he wonders. Not really. The concrete pavers look English, the limestone comes from Bulgaria and the internal paving is marble from Italy. Oh well, keep looking!

Valhalla. Mark reaches the meatballs of Ikea where all things are new. Why don't Ikea sell some of the millions of pieces of unwanted furniture collected and refurbished by Green Works, he thinks, while rolling onward to Hendon



Wembley, London, UK - GREEN-WORKS is paid by corporates and multi-nationals to remove millions of desks from city of London skyscrapers when they decide to give them a makeover, every seven years on average. What happens to them? Green-Works operates its warehouses in partnership with other community and not-for-profit organisations. All of these outlets have the common aim of providing training and employment to the disadvantaged, disabled or long-term unemployed. A small number of desks are refurbished. Most are taken apart, the metal recycled and the chipboard sent to be burnt in a waste to energy incinerator - a bad case of downcycling.

So Salvo suggested an upcycling alternative - turn the chipboard into flooring. With help from Buro Happold, a test system was devised, and now a new chipboard flooring product will be launched, called Re-Desk at the Salvo fair on Friday 30th June. Green Works are inviting salvage dealers to become stockists. They will also explain to construction professionals on the afternoon of Friday 30th June at the Salvo Fair, how reuse of Re-Desk will help support a raft of green and friendly causes embraced by Green Works.