The box – commissioned by the international trade and industry ministry (MITI), which was also the national secretariat of APEC 2020 – incorporates minimalist elements, with design precision.
The wooden box was gifted to all 21 APEC leaders last month.
Green Box Factory founder Harith Ridzuan, 35, said the special use of balau wood as a base for the Balau box exposed both local and foreign communities to Malaysia’s products.
“Many don’t know this, but Malaysia is rich in high quality timber products. To the best of my knowledge, over 200 types of useful timber are found in our forest reserves.
“In the past, balau wood was used to make houses or for outdoor construction due to its strength. But for the design of this gift box, I tried to apply it as a basic material.
“The selection of balau wood is also extremely unique because of its resistance to damage from termite infestations, which was one of the reasons why I chose this type of wood for the gift box,” he said.
Harith also said the creation of the box took up to two weeks, as the packaging and overall design of the box required “meticulous attention”.
He said the Balau box was created under the Dapo collection – decorations and gifts using eco-friendly materials and minimalist designs.
Harith said he had wanted to bring innovation to the local wood carving industry after he completed his studies in the University of Nottingham, UK.
To date, the Malaysian-made wooden designs have successfully made their way into 20 international markets, including other APEC countries such as the US, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and South Korea.
“I want everyone to know of the uniqueness of wood carving, and intend to make Malaysia the model country for green industry, more so in wood design.”
Commenting on APEC 2020’s philosophy of “shared prosperity”, Harith said it could be implemented through community collaboration on social media, such as Facebook.
He said this was because the Facebook community was capable of promoting green living and cultivating awareness of adopting a green lifestyle.
Harith also said the platform would allow a variety of discussions to take place, given the diverse backgrounds of Facebook users.
He added that Green Factory would organise workshops to expose students to the local wood carving industry.
Malaysia hosted APEC 2020, making it the second time the country became the host of the annual forum. It previously hosted it in 1998.
This year’s APEC was especially unique, as it was the first time the event was conducted virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the new format, discussions still enabled an exchange of ideas and presentations of policy outlines on issues faced by the community. Next year, APEC will be hosted by New Zealand.