The company, AptDeco, located in New York, will shake the world of furniture resale by being streamlined in buying and selling old furniture, tackling the huge problem of waste furniture growing in the country. As stated, in the United States alone, 12 million tons of furniture are tossed into the landfills annually, worsening this problem of an overflowing land. The most significant disadvantage of recycling furniture is how difficult it has become, to transport and then sell items once used. Unlike most other resale platforms such as Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, where logistics of pick-up and delivery are left to the users to arrange, AptDeco takes care of everything in the transaction, including offering both pick-up and delivery services.
AptDeco’s business model extends the lifecycle of furniture, which reduces waste while also helping decrease the environmental impact associated with manufacturing new furniture. For founder and CEO Reham Fagiri, reducing the need for new wood and cutting down on supply chain emissions are key.
The platform enables consumers to buy secondhand furniture, which is often sold at a 50% discount, while ensuring that the items are properly transported and delivered to new buyers.
The startup also collaborates with big furniture retailers such as Pottery Barn and West Elm to resell returned floor models and customer returns. By bypassing traditional reverse logistics, which involves costly transportation and emissions from shipping returns to distribution centers, AptDeco simplifies the process. Returned items are sold quickly, sometimes within a week, after being picked up directly from the customer’s home.
AptDeco’s impact has been significant. Since its foundation, ten years ago, the company has offset over 19 million pounds of carbon dioxide, which equates to the removal of roughly 6.5 million cars from the roads. The sustainability effort did attract investors like Initialized Capital and Comcast Ventures. As for now, the company managed to raise $14.5 million in funding.
While it comes with a cost between 15% and 60% of the sale, AptDeco provides convenient and eco-friendly solutions, ranking it as a leader in the circular economy, attracting customers and investors.
With operations in every state in the U.S. except Alaska and Hawaii, AptDeco’s growth and focus on climate adaptation make it a player for the future of sustainable business.
