Fold furniture: leveraging local cultural wisdom as the root of sustainable furniture design

This research develops a folding furniture system based on Indonesian local wisdom, specifically the "dingklik" tradition, into a universal stool product that is ergonomic, culturally inclusive, and lowcarbon. This innovation integrates three material approaches: (1) structural frames from FSC-certified wood offcuts, (2) composite panels from industrial and household plastic waste, and (3) filler components from local wood industry waste (sawdust, wood shavings, offcuts). Using the Engineering Design Process methodology and comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040/14044, the study demonstrates that fold furniture reduces carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions by 49.3% per unit compared to conventional furniture from 127.0 kg CO2e to 64.4 kg CO2e with the most significant savings occurring in the distribution (65.6%) and raw material extraction phases (58.6%).The folding system reduces shipping volume by 65%, making this product highly relevant for e-commerce distribution, remote rural areas, and space-sensitive Asian urban markets.