Behind the VAIA philosophy: from circularity to the know-how of local craftsmen
by Alessandro Mancini
Anybody who has been in the Dolomite mountains in recent years will have noticed the large number of dead trees in the midst of forests that were once vast stretches of uninterrupted green.
The death of all these trees has been caused by the auger beetle, an insect that burrows under the bark of spruce trees, blocking vital sap flow and causing tree death in a short time. One reason for the increase in auger reproduction was the Vaia storm which decimated the Dolomite forests in the Veneto, Alto Adige and Friuli regions at the end of October, 2018, destroying over 103 acres of forest and obliterating tens of millions of trees. For days, roads, mountain trails, and whole villages were blocked and isolated, and the financial damage was estimated at around three billion euro.
With the loss of such a huge number of trees, the territory was weakened and became vulnerable to further extreme climatic events and to the arrival of non-local species like the auger beetle. As well as the destruction caused by the Vaia storm, the damage from auger infestation was enormous: according to data issued at the latest Congress of the Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology, the surface area devastated by these events is twice the size of Lake Garda. Luckily however, some clouds have a silver lining. Following the devastation, several local projects were set up to create awareness and promote regeneration in the territory, as well as initiatives to reclaim the wood from the trees demolished by the fury of the wind. VAIA, startup and B Corp italiana, is one of these initiatives. Established in 2019, VAIA – as the name suggests – was set up as a proactive reaction to the storm, conceived by three young entrepreneurs. The startup won a Forbes award in 2020 and was included in the list of 100 young leaders of the future. It produces wooden objects and accessories, and has created an innovative business model, focused not only on profit margins, but also the needs of the territory and the local community.
Creative intelligence, a sense of community, the use of technology and human know-how are all elements that can contribute towards re-establishing a balance between human activities and natural ecosystems, increasingly more threatened by the exploitation and cupidity of mankind
“I have a very strong bond with the Dolomites”, says Federico Stefani, co-founder of VAIA. “I used to spend all my summers in the woods, and now those forests where I grew up no longer exist. I am glad I am able to make some kind of contribution to try and heal this damage”.
How? By combining business and sustainability.
The first product launched on the market was the VAIA Cube, a natural sound amplifier for smartphones, that functions without the need for electricity. This was followed by VAIA Focus, a screen amplifier for smartphones, that combines technology, tradition and design. With the sales of this object, the Italian start up decided to make an active contribution towards research and the protection of mountain glaciers. To date, they have recovered 4000 square metres of geotextile sheets that cover the Presena glacier during the summer, converting them into VAIA Focus protective fabric; they support scientific research and publish data on the condition of glaciers together with Ice Memory, an international project financed by CNR and the Ca’ Foscari University, an initiative recognised by Unesco; they have helped clean up ten alpine glaciers with the Summit Foundation project.
All VAIA products are produced by local craftsmen. There are now 12 artisans involved in the project which uses the fir tree wood recovered from the very trees felled during the storm. They have recovered a total of 250 thousand tons of wood. VAIA products also focus strongly on aesthetics: “I have a theatrical background, and for me, art is a fundamental element” explains the founder, “by combining beauty, design and art, it is possible to create a sense of common identity which also acts as inspiration. For this reason, we also focus strongly on product aesthetics and design, not simply on functionality. This describes the power of art: it is not useful, but at the same time it is absolutely necessary”.
This year VAIA celebrates its fifth anniversary, and to honour the occasion, on September 21, an event was held at Base Tuono, Folgaria (TN): Forest of Inventors, now in its third year, celebrated right in the midst of their beloved forests. The event also celebrated another important target achieved by VAIA in recent years: about 100 thousand new trees have been planted in the Dolomites. For every object sold, the company plants a new tree in the areas hit so badly by the storm in 2018. A business model that is sustainable, circular, and ‘regenerative’, made possible also thanks to over 100 thousand people of the local community, who follow and support VAIA initiatives.
“I liked the idea that the objects that people use in everyday life bring a certain energy”, Stefani continues: “Only by connecting the dots that might seem very far apart can we give things their true sense: this way, if the raw product, or wood, represents one resource (of recovery), and the craftsmen who work in the mountain communities form another resource (local production chain), the creative capacity of my company can become the connection that joins all the dots. In addition, I feel that it is impossible to think of the future without investing in the local community”.
Partners, team, community. These are the terms used by VAIA to define its personal identity and the importance it gives to social aspects, its close relationship with the territory and the people who live there, representing the basic philosophy of this young Italian startup.
“Our work at VAIA consists of rediscovering the lost harmony between man and nature, while keeping in mind the inevitable existence of unexpected or extreme natural events. Creative intelligence, a sense of community, the use of technology and human know-how – as well as adopting a circular type economy – these are all elements that can contribute towards re-establishing a balance between human activities and natural ecosystems, increasingly more threatened by the exploitation and cupidity of mankind”.
Alessandro Mancini
A graduate in Publishing and Writing from La Sapienza University in Rome, he is a freelance journalist, content creator and social media manager. Between 2018 and 2020, he was editorial director of the online magazine he founded in 2016, Artwave.it, specialising in contemporary art and culture. He writes and speaks mainly about contemporary art, labour, inequality and social rights.
