“After completing my university studies, I decided to go back to my village. Most people go to the city. But I love my village and I decided to do what’s right for nature and people” – Singgigh Susilo Kartono

In 2003, Singgih Kartono left his wooden toy-making partnership in order to work by his own principles. And so he started making wooden radio sets. The idea may sound simple but Kartono’s philosophy and the repercussions of his business are, at the very least, inspiring. He believes in an all-encompassing relationship between product, consumer and nature. To him, the sets are more than objects and they should be taken care of. He explains that “compared to an uninhabited house, an inhabited house is livelier, it reacts to our doings. Likewise, the consumer should give attention to the product to deserve it”. The very design of his radio sets, which are purposely uncoated, call for such attention.

Beyond the green nature of his “product”, Kartono takes care to minimise the impact his business has on nature: he advocates “cutting less, spending more” and for every tree used, a new one is planted. With the intention of contributing economically and socially to his village – Kandangan in Central Java–, Kartono and his wife have trained about 30 people aged 17 to 30 years old, all from agricultural backgrounds. He highlights that he wants to instil discipline in his employees and steer their consumerist behaviour onto a more environmentally conscious path.

While his radio sets are mp3-compatible – he calls it a “little compromise” – Kartono has no plans to change his current design or venture into new products. TV sets? He says he would feel guilty to design a product that is not good for nature. And seeing how requests for his one-of-a-kind radio sets far exceed the 200 he and his team are able to produce monthly, he will not be needing new items any time soon. Here’s proof that integrity and environmental mindfulness do not equate with poor performance.