The founder and CEO has turned his family’s three-decade-old business into one that produces sustainable furniture using upcycled materials, while creating opportunities for youths to participate in the industry.
“I have always cared deeply for the environment and, through this business, I get to continue my family’s legacy sustainably as well as develop our local talent pool,” the 38-year-old told FMT.
The Green Factory, he said, adopts a green holistic approach across the manufacturing chain, from material sourcing and product design to waste management, outreach, and education.
Harith’s Ampang factory also serves as a training facility for interns to learn about sustainable industry standards, and further offers apprenticeships to graduates.
“These youths can dabble in various parts of the manufacturing process before deciding what they want to specialise in. We don’t just want to focus on white-collar skills but also look into blue-collar development,” he explained.
Harith said his company has also worked with Yayasan Peneraju Bumiputera to train the B40 community, giving them an opportunity to participate in the industry and generate income.
The eldest of 10 children, Harith was destined to take over the family business as he would spend his school holidays at their factory located in Sungai Buloh.
After finishing his studies and delving deeper into the industry, he noticed copious amounts of waste generated by the manufacturing facility.
“I went to military school and was always surrounded by greenery, so I began to appreciate the environment more. Seeing how much waste was being produced began to trouble me,” he said.
In 2012, he came across a report stating that Malaysia had the highest rate of deforestation in the world. This spurred Harith into taking his business in a greener direction.
This, however, was not as easy as he had hoped because he had to figure out how to strike the right balance between promoting sustainability and keeping the company afloat.
“I didn’t know how to go about it initially and had to do research from scratch. I had to change our machines and find new marketing strategies to sell our products,” he shared.
“This move not only opened doors for more innovation, but also created a new market space for the industry.”
Since the change, Harith has successfully created a business that has garnered attention locally and internationally. To date, the company has exported its sustainable products to over 20 countries.
Harith added that the company did well during the pandemic as it was able to operate at 30% capacity and expedite plans to sell its products online.
Asked what he hoped The Green Factory would ultimately achieve, he said he wanted his company to drive change in the timber industry in the country.
“From there, Malaysia can become a hub for sustainable design and sourcing,” he said.
“I want people from all over the world to think of our country when they want to buy a sustainable product.”
For more information on The Green Factory, visit its Facebook and Instagram profiles.