Turning Trash Into Tables in Naples

In 2008, as landfills overflowed and trash piled up in Naples, Aldo Savarese was disheartened by all the bad press southern Italy was getting. So he came up with a plan he thought might improve the region’s image—and turn a profit for Sabox, the 35-employee paper company Savarese had founded in 2004 with Italian packaging group SADA. Three years ago, Savarese reinvented Sabox as an eco-friendly producer of boxes and cardboard furniture made from recycled paper. “Sabox mixes the best and worst Italy has to offer: the garbage of the Naples area, which shamed us, and the design, creativity, and resilience we are known for,” Savarese says as he shows off tables and chairs in red and brown with splashes of green at his warehouse in Nocera Superiore, the town 25 miles southeast of Naples where Sabox is headquartered.

His most successful product is the sleek furniture created by designer Generoso Parmegiani. This comes in various colors and shapes, from simple rectangles to sinewy designs that can be pieced together to form desks, bar counters, and even chandeliers. Chairs weigh 4.4 pounds and retail for €40 ($54) each, while desks cost €120. To boost its profile, the company has donated chairs, which can hold up to 600 lbs., to the Venice International Film Festival and other artsy events in Italy.