Bringing creative design solutions to life with smart circular twists

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Arriving in Ireland 11 years ago from Brazil, Caio Pazini had to look for opportunities to restart his life in a new country.

Working as a handyman and carpenter for two years gave him enough experience to start his own business, Forja Works, which offers design solutions with a twist: reusing perfectly good materials that no longer fulfil their original purpose and recycling as much as possible.

“I already had an eye for recycling as my family back in Brazil has been working in plastic recycling, so I knew more about this area.”

Initially, his main driver was to balance the lack of financial resources by saving materials instead of throwing them away.

In the past years, Caio has worked on a wide variety of projects, from designing restaurant interiors and outdoor coffee areas to wardrobes and event installations.

In 2023, he was proud to divert over 2000 kg of discarded materials by breathing new life into them through his work.

“I’m at my best when I can work on the creative design while finding the best way to use materials all over again. I equally enjoy turning a piano into a bar and designing benches from recycled plastic.”

One of his recent projects was creating a ‘trash wave’ installation for KIA as part of their communication at the St Patrick's Festival. In this case, he had to demonstrate and visualise the plastic waste challenge by visualising the plastic journey.

Focusing on design longevity

Another area he focuses on is improving design longevity by using modular systems that allow him to replace or fix certain items without destroying or damaging the main structure.

For instance, he would adopt this approach at a coffee shop when creating fixed seating areas, making it possible to repair blocks instead of dismantling everything. Caio’s thinking goes beyond materials.

He added a ‘buy-back' service to his business, meaning he would offer partners a fair price to reclaim the materials he used when they no longer wanted them.

“Buying back materials from my clients allows me to redress or repurpose them and use them elsewhere. I have created a ‘library of materials' at my workshop so I can mix and match what I need according to the actual design I'm working on. This is a great deal for my partners, for my business and the environment.”

He aims to have a bigger facility where he can expand the ‘library of materials’ concept and scale this approach.

Exploring full circularity

Searching to take his ideas and enterprise to the next level led him to participate in the MODOS course.

“Being part of the programme helped me find new ways to finance my ideas and market our services and products besides rethinking my business model. The contacts and overall support were also beneficial. It also opened my eyes to carbon emissions and management and how to adopt it in a meaningful way to my company.”

An added value in joining the MODOS programme was to find a community where he was understood.

“It was nice to have a space where you are not considered weird because you want to do things differently.”

Staying and growing local

On top of working on circular solutions, Caio feels strongly about keeping everything local and avoiding imports as much as possible to reduce emissions and create more jobs locally.

“I hope to become a pioneer in this sector and lead by example. This also means I need to pave the way first, which takes a lot of energy and time.”

To walk to talk, he is keen to run his business responsibly. I

ntegrating solar panels and electric vehicles into their operations is part of their ambitious carbon emission reduction plan, and playing an active part in hosting the Canal Cleaning events in Portobello in Dublin is also on the agenda.

In the midst of running and expanding his business, Caio says it is hard to balance and find time to switch off, but luckily, his work is also his passion.

“I’m full of ideas but also need to keep the focus on the business to make things work. What keeps me grounded is the actual craft, making things with my hand. It is satisfying turning materials into creations and seeing things shaping up by your hand.”