Unalome: Sustainable Furniture company From Bali

Katrin

Interview with Ako Ardalan, CEO and founder of Unalome. Unalome makes eco-friendly sustainable furniture in Bali, Indonesia. Their furniture is crafted by skilled artisans using just natural materials.

Hi Ako, thank you for taking part in this project and giving an interview to Being Magazine. Can you please introduce yourself in a few words for our readers?

Ako

Born in Iran, raised in Sweden, studied university in Australia, had an investment banking career in London, and now currently in Bali! My name is Ako Ardalan 🙂

Katrin

How did the Unalome story start?

Ako

The Unalome story actually started only 4 years ago. I had ended my career as a forex trader at an investment bank in London. I moved to my flat in Marbella for a couple of months to figure out what to do before my dear friend Michel Schoppe suggested we should start a company together making furniture in Bali. He was already in the business and based in Bali so we had a good foundation to start. Since I love Bali, surfing, and everything else about it, it wasn’t very hard to convince me. 

Katrin

Do you have any interesting, curious facts about Unalome?

The meaning of Unalome is “the path to enlightenment. 

Ako

1. The meaning of Unalome is “the path to enlightenment”. 

2. It was hard finding a good name for the company but one day as I looked down my arm where I have an Unalome tattoo I realized what a brilliant and powerful name it would be for our eco-friendly furniture company. The meaning of Unalome is “the path to enlightenment”. 

3. …hmmm – both owners (me and Michel) are from Scandinavia! 

Katrin

Unalome is an absolutely beautiful name! 

I know that you and your brand focus on the quality of the furniture you create. I love the way you communicate it: “SUSTAINABILITY IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA”. Tell me more about the company’s vision and goals. 

SUSTAINABILITY IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA. 

Ako

Well first of all we are a lot of people on this planet. So if we don’t take our social and corporate environmental responsibility seriously, we won’t have a planet left to live on! So we are actually trying to start at our doorstep by educating the local schools and population in Indonesia in regards to waste management and illegal logging. I think especially furniture manufacturers have a big responsibility of making sure the wood they use is coming from a government-certified source where the trees will be replanted. But to answer the question above, the goal is obviously to make a lot of amazing-looking furniture but to do it in a sustainable way! 

Katrin

I fully agree with you. It is time for all of us to take responsibility to create real changes. I personally admire the work you do from your side.  

Can you tell us more about how the production work from an eco-friendly perspective?

Ako

Again I believe the most important thing is to source the material legally from a government-certified actor. We have to be sure the trees that are cut down are once again replanted. We are also very specific about what brands we use for finishing colors. Always use a reliable brand that has been in the game for a long time or we will never know what chemicals are actually used. Don’t always look for the cheapest option to maximize profits. Finally, try to use as little energy as possible. I believe I read somewhere that Ikea has some factories where there is no lights on. The robots work in the dark to save energy! 🙂 

Katrin

Yes, it is not always the easiest and cheapest way to make sustainable furniture but it is the core. We need to love and take care of our planet or we will not have a place to live and create. And I love your example about Ikea!   

I want to ask a personal question. Which profession did you dream about when you were a kid? For sure you didn’t imagine living in Bali and creating this inspiring eco-friendly furniture company.

Ako

NO, I wasn’t. To be honest, I really wanted to become an astronomer. We did a holiday back in Iran when I was 11 years old and my mother decided to show me the entire country by driving it for 4 months! The night sky there is insanely beautiful so during the trip they got me some books (basically astronomy 101!!) and then I was hooked. Unfortunately I never really ended up pursuing it but it was definitely the profession on my mind when I was younger. 

Katrin

I believe together we can change the world for the better. Do you?:) What is your personal view on the future of our planet?  

Ako

Honestly, I’m quite worried. As I stated above, it really is crucial that everyone takes their environmental responsibility seriously. TOGETHER is the only way this will work!