Designer Joey Roth Builds Zero-Waste Show Booth From Discarded Materials

Photo credit: Jasmin Malik Chua

You can take Joey Roth out of TreeHugger, but you can't take the tree-hugger out of Joey Roth. A man with a plan, the Sorapot designer and TreeHugger alum arrived on setup day at the New York International Gift Fair last week with little more than his hammer, Japanese saw, ruler, sketchbook, and an eye for finding treasure in trash.

"I've been to a few tradeshows with my work at this point, and I always find an obscene amount of waste as booths are constructed," Roth says. "It’s all the more ridiculous because these booths are taken down after a few days."Video credit: PSFK

To construct his booth, Roth salvaged scraps other exhibitors had thrown out, including shipping pallets that he hacked apart to create shelves, benches, and a table. The result is a study in contrasts, with Roth's gleaming, futuristic wares set off by the roughhewn, rustic charm of his ad-hoc materials.

Photo credit: Jasmin Malik ChuaPhoto credit: Jasmin Malik ChuaPhoto credit: Jasmin Malik ChuaMore on the SorapotJoey Roth's SorapotJoey Roth Demonstrates His SorapotPackaging the Sorapot