Social enterprise Newly sells home goods from 100% recycled materials

When four Nashville men came together over beers last year, they batted around ideas on making an impact together. This week, they are putting their chosen concept into action, launching a company that makes home goods with 100-percent recycled materials.

The new social enterprise is called Newly and its initial products include glassware, cutting boards, acrylic trays and throw blankets. The founders envision eventually adding every home good product possible, while sticking with their recycling mission.

Barrett Ward, founder of social enterprise Fashionable, is among the group of now five Newly entrepreneurs. He does not claim to be an environmentalist, but sees recycling materials as a sensible approach.

“The goal is to prove the simple point that we don’t have to continue to harvest from the earth new resources to make all the things we use on a daily basis around our home,” Ward said. “That to me is just good common sense.”

Newly co-founders also include Jesse Sproul, who works in the music industry, Joel Griffith, who works in nonprofit management and marketing, Matt Lehman, a graphic designer, and Michael Graziano, a filmmaker.

Because of the global lack of developed manufacturing involving recycled goods, the Newly team has pieced together production from across the world.

The hand-blown glassware is made from recycled wine and drink bottles that comes from Central Spain. The recycled acrylic comes from Italy and the trays are made in South Carolina by a husband and wife team. The throw blankets’ thread, made from recycled cotton and water bottles, is also from Spain and the blankets are woven in California. The cutting boards are made from wooden beams coming from torn-down, 19th Century buildings in Eastern Europe.

“They are durable goods that people buy all the time, everyday but people don’t often think about the true cost of the goods beyond the aesthetics,” co-founder Michael Graziano said. “Part of our challenge was, how can we compete in terms of quality and aesthetics but win in terms of all of the other costs that aren’t normally computed, like sustainability?”

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The complicated network of goods and manufacturing underscores why more companies have not pursued recycled materials. Eventually, the Newly founders would like to produce materials and manufacture in the U.S. to increase efficiency.

Despite the complications, the methods do make an impact on water use and carbon dioxide. The blankets save 250,000 gallons of water per blanket because no new dyes are needed and using recycled acrylic rather than starting from scratch helps reduce the overall carbon footprint, according to Ward and Graziano.

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Most importantly, the products are attractive and priced competitively, Ward said. Those components are critical to long-term success, a point he has stressed when discussing his own brand Fashionable, which sells leather bags and jewelry. While the reason for the brand is employing women who have had limited job opportunities, the model is only sustainable if the products themselves are a compelling purchase.

“We knew we couldn’t create a competitive business based on a mission, but because our products are the most beautiful," Ward said. "People can identify with the brand but if the products aren't excellent then they won't come back."

Some consumers may never be interested in the company's sustainability objectives, but for those who are, that component can tip the scale in a purchase -- if the product's appearance stands out, Graziano said..

"If that is part of your decision matrix when you buy things, we can give people the option now to purchase home goods that are durable, beautiful and sustainable," Graziano said.

Newly goods can be purchased exclusively online at Newly.com.

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.