A Conversation with Paul de Zwart, Founder of Another Country

by Alex Moshakis

The entrepreneur Paul de Zwart established his furniture company, Another Country, with a set of strict principles: to be responsible, to be purposeful, to be a company fit for the 21st century. In the decade or so since it launched, the brand has manufactured chairs, stools, tables, beds, lighting and other pieces of furniture using high-quality natural materials. We spoke to Paul in his Marylebone office one recent morning about sustainability, design longevity, and sticking to your values.

You established Another Country in 2010. Can you tell me how it came about?

It feels like a long time ago now. I had been working at Wallpaper magazine, and when that phase ended I was thinking about what was next. This was at a point in my life when I'd been considering an idea: a furniture brand, imbued from the outset with values around sustainability and more respectful working practices, and around natural materials and design longevity. The design scene at the time – around 2010 and the decade before that – was very focussed on design for design's sake, and celebrity design, and things that clearly had no aesthetic longevity or even a nod towards sustainability. There was no talk about how things were made, where they were made, about end of life and circularity. And that bothered me, that new things were getting so much attention at a time when we were already facing a degree of climate emergency.

The driver for this new brand was sustainability?

It was sustainability, yes. But the other key driver was design. I wanted to make things that last: objects that would be made of quality, using quality materials, but also objects that were designed to last in terms of aesthetics. We wanted to reinterpret the archetype, to ensure that the things we made would have a creative longevity. We wanted to make things well, but also to design furniture that stood the test of time: it shouldn't bore you, and it shouldn't fall apart. So we started to work with wood, and with other renewable materials, and then went about researching natural fibre partners, so that objects would be made from circular and renewable and natural materials.

How was the process of sourcing those kinds of materials?

Slowly what began to become clear was that we were addressing, from day one, what I would call the supply chain input. Sourcing timber, manufacturing as sustainably as we can, working with partners and encouraging them to become more sustainable themselves. Some of those things take time – you're working with others – but over the years our suppliers have become more green. We've insisted on the use of recycled cardboard rather than virgin cardboard, which makes a massive difference to the carbon footprint. We're a carbon neutral business now, but we've always had to look to improve the supply chain. All of these things were drivers, as well as how we hoped people would live with our pieces – the ergonomics, our clients' wellbeing, low VOCs – so that when a customer receives one of our objects, it enhances their lives.

"I wanted to make things that last: objects that would be made of quality, using quality materials, but also objects that were designed to last in terms of aesthetics."

Can you tell us about your first pieces?

The first pieces were part of a collection called Series 1. The genesis piece was a simple, three-legged, archetypal milk stool. Like most of our collections, a facet of one piece was shared across the whole range: a certain radius, a certain edge, a certain angle to a horizontal plane. Those shapes and forms inform the entire collection: a stool, a bench, a dining table – they all pick up on a shared something.

Like a family…

Yes. They share particular details. And other ranges share other similarities: the shape of a leg or a chair back. That's how we think about design. What's interesting is that Series 1 has stood the test of time – it's still our best-selling collection. There's something about objects coming without too much baggage that can be quite refreshing. The original idea was to design in a modular fashion, so that the same leg could be attached to a stool, or a bench. And there's also something about pared-back design that makes production more efficient. The more complex you make a piece, the more energy you use. Which again, from a point of sustainability, is helpful.

Slow Sofa

When you first launched, did people understand the value of your ethos?

I think so, though it's become more of a modern day thing, the idea of brands having values. In 2010, there weren't many brands who sold based on what they stood for environmentally. Now people have become more conscious about how they spend their money. They think about a product's longevity, and they buy with a set of values in mind, in the same way they might buy an electric vehicle, or produce from Riverford Organic, or choose certain apparel brands over others.

When we launched, we were just the new kid on the block, and we got a lot of press. People liked the way we spoke, our story, our values. But inevitably that slowed down, and we had to focus on our own channels. That's when we opened a store. Sticking to and fulfilling our own personal values through what we do as a business has remained – and still is – as important as the selling.

"There's something about objects coming without too much baggage that can be quite refreshing."

When that initial buzz wears off, it could be tough for a brand without strong values to fall back on…

It's interesting. I've seen a lot of very talented young designers come to market with their ideas, but it's a tough sector. A lot of students are encouraged to start their own businesses, and they come out of the blocks with a lot of positivity and ideas, and slowly the reality hits. That's when you need to fall back on the storytelling, on those values. You can't be just a maker. You need to be a good communicator, and a businessperson, and a designer, and it's really difficult. We've always looked at everything holistically. I had a good idea and have stuck to a story, and created a brand that people can respond to and relate to, rather than just a brand that sells a product.

Why did you have such a strong personal reaction to what was going on in the design industry in the 2010s?

It was a personal conscience issue. I could understand that a large legacy business might struggle to quickly turn itself around and improve its working practices. But I found it difficult to accept that a new business at that time could just completely disregard the challenges we were already facing. When I look at any object, I always think, 'What's going to happen to it once it's used?' And usually I will know: 'That's landfill.' When I see new businesses doing this, especially now, I find that difficult to accept. The fact we are disregarding the bigger picture – it's completely counterintuitive. And plain wrong.

You said that over time you have encouraged suppliers to become more sustainable. Is that you always pushing them?

Yes. We initially started making here in the UK, in Dorset, then Norwich. And then we looked at Portugal – they have a lot of manufacturing skill-sets and investment in the sector. But what typically happens is you work with a factory that already has a way of doing things, and you have to adapt to their model. Unless you're a really big customer, they will say, 'This is how we do it.' Very frustrating.

But over the years things have changed. Our suppliers have started to use recycled cardboard, there are now a lot of solar panels on the factory roof – up to about 75% solar. The grid in Portugal is 50% green too. Our finishes are all plant-based – plant-based oils and wax. We use paper tape instead of PVC tape. All of these little things add up. You can't do it all, but every incremental change makes a difference.

Are your suppliers in Portugal more receptive now?

I always first try to have a personal connection to the owner or the manager and understand what makes him or her tick. I appeal to their sense of self, their sense of family, their own future as people. It isn't just about money, it's about the lives of our children. You have to add value in a different way. They are subtle conversations.

It seems like so much work…

Sometimes it is a lot of work. And sometimes you don't make progress. It's a complex system. You have to understand that their lives are super busy – they're producing hundreds of products, not just yours. You also have to be understanding. If you're Ikea and say to the supplier 'this is how we want to do things,' the supplier either adapts or Ikea go somewhere else. That's where the real power lies, with the bigger companies. We push as much as we can, and talking about it is important. But the effect isn't as great as when a bigger entity decides to effect change. That's when it's exciting.

You're a carbon neutral business. How important is that?

It's hard when you're not a big business. Having the B Corp certification, or other accreditations, they matter at the large-scale end of the market. The certificates cost money – I spend thousands annually to maintain them. But it's important. It makes it really clear that as a brand we are dedicated to being good corporate citizens. By being carbon neutral, it confirms a nature-friendly approach to working. It's important to give customers a sense that they're buying a product that was made in good conscience and with respect for the environment.

With regards to longevity, the idea is that people buy from you and it's with them for good?

Ideally, yes. We make things well. If something isn't as it should be we replace it, which doesn't happen too often. We aspire to make the best way possible and our pieces should last forever. And we can repair it – it's all infinitely repairable. We're not dogmatic. Despite our modest size, we try to be innovative. We have values, but they can be expressed through different ideas or materials, through different kinds of circularity.

What's next for the brand?

From a business perspective: we'd like to keep growing at a modest pace. We're not a massive team, so things take time. And we're absolutely sticking to our values, always reimagining what that means. We need to remain a part of the solution. It's not about selling more stuff, it's about having a bigger share of the pie, so that things that are assembly made perhaps don't get purchased as much. We want to fulfil our clients' needs for their homes, but in a way that, hopefully, will not do any damage to our lovely world. That's how we see things.

Photography: Ollie Tomlinson
https://www.anothercountry.com/