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Felix Bock, who has a background in wood engineering in Germany, was studying for a PhD in structural bamboo composites in Canada, when inspiration struck over a meal of sushi. Bock launched ChopValue to recycle old bamboo chopsticks into a range of homewares and furniture, from desks to dominoes and from chopping blocks to tables. Bock says that almost 33 million chopsticks have already been saved from the landfill and turned into new products. Now, the team plans to expand its network of microfactories globally, to be able to manufacture and sell locally wherever customers are around the world.
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