Global demand for wood could increase by 54% between 2010 and 2050, according to a study by World Resources Institute. While some building materials like steel take are consistently recycled back in the supply chain, wood does not. Cambium hopes to fix that.
Cambium strives to create the supply chain that prevents wood waste by connecting those with already used wood to the businesses and people who need it. Cambium co-founder and CEO Ben Christensen said recently The TechCrunch podcast found that only 5% to 10% of wood is currently reused, with most ending up in landfills or being turned into mulch.
“We’re building a better value chain where you can use local material, you can use salvaged material, and it’s all connected through our technology,” Christensen said. “So what we’re doing is we’re delivering smart carbon wood, locally salvaged wood, tracked with our technology, to big buyers for building, for furniture, for whatever use you use wood for. And we do that in a really efficient and cost-competitive way.”
Demand for more sustainable wood has been growing in recent years, Christensen said, but before Cambium there wasn’t a good system for finding recycled wood. Cambium fixes that and more, he said. The company goes to reclaimed wood businesses to sell and shows them the demand for their products, while also selling its inventory management and point-of-sale software to those suppliers.
Cambium also helps buyers have better visibility of where their wood is coming from and can further reduce their carbon footprint by choosing a local seller, Christensen said.
“People really, really want to buy this stuff, we’ve been overwhelmed with the demand there and that helps us get resources and volume on the platform to go and meet that demand,” Christensen said.
Christensen added that the company has also benefited from a generational shift as construction companies and people in wood-related trades retire and the next generation of people in those fields want to embrace technology and be more environmentally friendly.
Cambium was founded in 2019 and is based in Washington, D.C. The startup has raised more than $8.5 million in VC funding, including The Alumni Fund, Gaingels, and MaC Venture Capital, among others.
