Leading the way with local Swedish wood
Ronja, designed by David Ericsson, is a functional little chair which highlights the wood it is made of. The timber is felled and sawn not far from the Gärsnäs factory in Österlen, creating a direct chain from forest to chair. With the new Ronja initiative, Gärsnäs wants to take the first step in using Swedish wood and lead the way.
The Swedish beech from which Ronja is made is purchased by Gärsnäs from forest companies in southern Sweden that both own and manage forests. The logs are taken to the mill in Skättilljunga, which has been owned by Rolf and Gun Svensson since 1970 and employs seven people. The timber is milled to the correct measurements and then dried for furniture use in the mill’s drying facility for 36 – 40 days.
The chair Ronja by Gärsnäs, under production
Magnus Eriksson, CEO at Gärsnäs AB, says that the concept for the Ronja chair is that it is built from local wood, sawn at a nearby mill and made entirely in their factory. By using Swedish raw materials and shorter transports, Gärsnäs hope to diminish the chair’s climate footprint.
With the new Ronja initiative, Gärsnäs wants to take the first step in using Swedish wood and lead the way. Petra Mattsson, sustainability manager at Gärsnäs, anticipates an exciting future where furniture companies collaborate with forestry companies and forest owners to an ever-higher degree; a distinct possibility, if furniture companies start using local timber.
“Ronja’s design and manufacture enables a good piece of furniture to come from local timber. And it’s the wood that takes centre stage here. The chair is simple, straightforward and openly displays its construction.”
David Ericsson, designer.
Construction of a solid wood masterpiece.
“Ronja is no ordinary new chair, it rather marks the start of a process by Gärsnäs to use more domestic, locally sourced raw materials. We are making the effort, which hopefully will lead to Swedish wood being used in much more of our furniture. The main idea is to form a local supply chain that starts with the beech tree; a lovely hard wood suitable for furniture”, says Dag Klockby, part-owner of Gärsnäs AB.
