According to a study by the World Resources Institute, global demand for wood could increase by 54% between 2010 and 2050. While some building materials, such as steel, are consistently recycled into the supply chain, wood is not. Cambium wants to solve that.
Cambium aims to create a supply chain that prevents wood waste by connecting people who already have used wood with the companies and people who need it. Cambium co-founder and CEO Ben Christensen recently told TechCrunch's Found podcast that only 5% to 10% of wood is currently recycled, with most ending up in landfills. He said he is being multiplied.
“We're building a better value chain where we can use local materials, we can use salvaged materials, and they're all connected through our technology,” Christensen said. said. “So what we're doing is tracking Carbon Smart Wood, which is locally recovered wood, based on our technology, and building buildings to use all kinds of things that use wood. “It's about delivering to large-scale buyers for building and making furniture. And we're doing it in a very efficient and cost-competitive way.”
Christensen said there has been a growing demand for more sustainable wood in recent years, but before Cambium there was no good system for finding recycled wood. Cambium corrected it and he also said: The company visits and sells to companies that sell recycled wood to demonstrate demand for its products, while also selling software to these suppliers to help with inventory management and point-of-sale.
Cambium also helps buyers better understand where their wood comes from, and choosing local suppliers can further reduce their carbon footprint, Christensen said.
“People really, really want to buy this material. We're really overwhelmed by that demand, and we're helping secure the sourcing and volumes on our platform to meet that demand,” Christensen said. said.
Christensen said the company is also benefiting from generational change, as people in the construction and timber industries retire and the next generation of people in the field adopt technology and try to become more environmentally friendly. He added that there is.
Cambium was founded in 2019 and is based in Washington, DC. The startup has raised over $8.5 million in funding from VCs including The Alumni Fund, Gainels, and MaC Venture Capital.