Paperpop, Paper Furniture as Durable as Wood... "Popular Among MZ Generation for Being Eco-Friendly"

Paper Expert CEO Park Daehee
Annual Sales Double Every Year
Main Customer Base Early 30s

Dahee Park, CEO of Paperpop.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] "We use high-content corrugated cardboard, which is used for automotive engine blocks and heavy-duty packaging, to make paper furniture that is as sturdy as most wooden furniture. Paper chairs are environmentally friendly because most of them can be recycled when discarded."

Park Dae-hee, CEO of Paperpop, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 22nd, "With the lifting of social distancing measures due to COVID-19, various outdoor festivals are resuming one after another. Paper chairs are very light and easy to use compared to regular chairs. That’s why paper chairs, a hip item attracting the attention of the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), are emerging." In fact, Paperpop’s sales have been doubling every year, and the main customer base is in their early 30s.

CEO Park is a paper expert with many years of experience working at a box company before starting his own business. In 2012, he founded a company that made design products such as file boxes and storage organizers, and developed an interest in eco-friendly paper furniture. Later, in 2018, he established the social venture Paperpop and built his own online store through the global e-commerce platform Cafe24. Paperpop automated and streamlined the manufacturing process of paper furniture to effectively reduce costs.

Paper furniture is especially useful for single-person households. CEO Park explained, "Even alone, customers can easily assemble the paper furniture after receiving it by delivery, and it is convenient to dispose of. It biodegrades within 2 to 3 years, making it eco-friendly. We designed the product parts to be modular so that anyone can easily replace them, allowing customers to use our furniture for a long time."

Consumer perception of paper furniture has also changed significantly. CEO Park introduced, "In the early days of the startup, we often heard negative reactions such as ‘Why is paper so expensive?’ or ‘I thought it was wooden furniture, but they gave me a box inside another box.’ Nowadays, with increased interest in the environment, there are many positive responses like ‘I bought eco-friendly furniture and bragged to my friends’ and ‘How about changing the packaging materials to eco-friendly ones?’"