Giving Rubber Trees a Second Life

Second helpings? Good. 

Second chances? Great.

Giving our natural resources a second life? Priceless.

Here at TRINITY, we strive to improve the lives of everyone we touch with high quality and impactful storage, organization and home solutions. But we also work hard to make sure we’re doing so by being good environmental stewards.

That’s why – among our many environmental initiatives – we’re proud to give rubber trees a second life and feature durable rubberwood in close to 30 different products.

How It Works

When you hear about things made of rubber, you probably think of an artificial or synthetic material. But latex from rubber trees is still a popular way to make rubber the natural way. Basically, rubber trees are tapped to extract liquid latex (much like maple trees are tapped for syrup). It’s a valuable commodity for making everything from tires to surgical gloves.

But as rubber trees get older, the latex stops flowing. And when this happens, they’re often chopped down to make room for new latex-bearing trees. The older trees – many of which grow in tropical, developing countries – are often discarded into landfills.

Benefits of Rubberwood

But it doesn’t have to be that way. It turns out rubberwood is extremely durable and well-suited for quality furniture.

It’s got a straight wood grain that makes it less likely to shrink or crack. It’s able to withstand heat exposure, marring and impact. And it can handle significant amounts of weight.

What’s more, rubber trees grow much faster than other hardwood trees.

A Second Life in TRINITY Products

So where do discarded rubber trees get their second life? At TRINITY, you can find rubberwood tabletops on a number of different products where strength and hard work are key. That includes our metal garage cabinet systems, mobile workbenches, work tables, and even some kitchen carts.

For instance, our adjustable height work table features a solid 1.25 inch thick slab of rubberwood anchored by a sturdy metal frame. The result is a multi-purpose workhorse that can handle projects that involve pounding, sawing and drilling, as well as holding up to 800 lbs.

What if you’re pounding a steak to a 0.25 inch thickness? That’s why we’ve also got two kitchen carts (one with drawers and tray and one without) with a 100% solid rubberwood top. These attractive multi-taskers offer a sturdy workspace and handy, additional storage for whatever you’ve got cooking.

Since rubberwood work surfaces are so durable, products with them will last longer…which is good for the environment and your budget. To find all available options, just enter “rubberwood” in the search box at the top of any page on our website.

Making – and choosing – environmentally-friendly products are just one way we all can make a positive impact. For every product you purchase on our site, TRINITY also donates to One Tree Planted to support reforestation around the world.