From Milk Jug to Loll Designs Chair: Lollygagging the Walk
Introduction
In mid-January 2017, Greg Benson sat in his home office reading about plummeting oil prices. Greg, the CEO of Loll Designs, quickly realized what that meant for his business. The main ingredient used in all his products was plastic resin. Low oil price meant low “virgin” plastic expense. Based in Duluth, Minnesota, Loll Designs was a designer/manufacturer of durable, all-weather, outdoor furniture and accessories made with recycled plastic – mostly from single use milk jugs. Using thoughtful, original designs and unique materials, Loll created innovative, fun and high quality products proudly crafted in the USA. Greg’s entrepreneurial efforts dated back to 1997 with the creation of TrueRide, a design and build contractor specializing in custom municipal skate parks. The TrueRide crew designed, built, installed and serviced more than 400 custom skateboard parks across the nation and abroad during a 10 year period. In 2007, Greg started Loll as an outdoor furniture company for the “modern lollygagger”. Best known for its modern Adirondack chair, Loll’s mission statement: “We enhance people, the planet, and our company in everything we do. Loll produced more than 200 different products sold at retail stores domestically and overseas. Loll products could also be found in corporations, restaurants, libraries, and cruise ships.
Exhibit 1: Adirondack Chair
A Snapshot of Loll Designs
Greg graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a degree in geography and environmental science in 1997. He sought an opportunity to pursue his passion for the outdoors while working for himself. He and his brother founded TrueRide, a skate park manufacturing company. The company was originally established in Plymouth, Minnesota and moved to Duluth in 1999. They built over 400 skate parks across the country from 1997 to 2007. These were big municipal skate parks for cities.
Exhibit 2: A Typical TrueRide Skate Park
Greg and his brother built the ramps in Minnesota, shipped them to sites and put them together. “We had waste. You build this park and end up with these small plastic pieces. So we contemplated what should we do with that waste?” he recalled asking himself in 2007. The material they used was sourced for durability, longevity, and no-maintenance; and hence was not cheap. He felt bad throwing them in a dumpster and this was when two companies were born: Epicurian for kitchen cutting boards, and Loll for outdoor furniture. In other words, skate ramps’ leftovers created two new companies or product lines. The Bensons sold TrueRide, and Greg managed Loll while his brother took over Epicurian. “The cutting boards we made were sort of reinventing the wheel, but the material differentiated us”, Greg reminisced on how Epicurianstarted. By the end of 2016, the company’s product mix included 350 kitchen products that were sold in 60 countries.
Exhibit 3: A Change in Course
On the other hand, Loll Designs made outdoor furniture. Greg was trying to find a synonym for “relax”, and came across the term “loll”. To loll is to sit, stand, or be lazy. It dawned on him immediately: “I want to make outdoor furniture for the modern lollygagger”, he said. A modern lollygagger to Greg was someone who was really active, someone who worked hard but also wanted to relax hard and enjoy their time outside. Loll’s vision statement summarized this theme: “Loll inspires people to appreciate the outdoors”.
Originally, the company used recycled postindustrial plastic (scrap that has been diverted or recovered during the manufacturing process), but by 2008, it began sourcing post-consumer plastic (material that has been used by consumers and diverted or recovered from waste destined for a landfill). This was when Loll, as both a product and a company, really started to take shape as a green company. An estimated eight recycled milk jugs went into each pound of a Loll Adirondack Chair, which equaled about 400 milk jugs per chair. Plus, their recycled material was 100% recyclable, so its purpose could change again into another useful product when that day comes.
Exhibit 4: What is Lollygagging?
Loll Designs’ corporate office, manufacturing facility, and show room were in Duluth, Minnesota. Although Loll did not compete on price, sales were always growing since the company’s inception. Sales in 2016 were little over 10 million dollars. Not bad for a company with only fifty employees! 50% of sales were to companies. For example, Yahoo headquarters, public libraries, restaurants, and cruise ships. Room and Board, a Minnesota based retailer ( accounted for 20% of sales. Another 20% came from direct online orders, and 10% were sold overseas via independent distributors.
Exhibit 5: The Duluth Facility
Sustainability and Green Initiatives
Greg had a degree in geography and environmental science. He has always been passionate when it came to sustainability. “Profit”, “People”, and “Planet” were three intertwined dimensions in any decision he made. Loll’s mission statement couldn’t be clearer: “We enhance people, the planet, and our company, in everything we do”.Growth and profits were part of being sustainable or stay in business. Loll also paid above average wages. “We are competing with other businesses in town that are hiring people, hence our pay, benefits, and other intangible things that make people come and work for us and stay with us have to be competitive”, Greg summarized his HR policy. He was known for coming up with ideas to motivate his employees while helping the environment. For example, Loll paid employees to ride bikes to work to cut back on fossil fuel and have healthier employees!
Exhibit 6: Loll Sales 2007 – 2016
However, the “Planet” dimension was the core of Loll’s business model, as exemplified in the following initiatives:
Green/eco-friendly operations:Loll Design was about reusing things – from designing and manufacturing products that are100% recycled and 100% recyclableto maintaining azero waste production facility. They were also continually looking for ways to take their green ways to a new level. One of their most recent ventures was reusing the heat they generated during the manufacturing process. When the company moved into its new building in September 2007, they re-evaluated the way they heat their building. Heat was a natural byproduct of theirmanufacturing process, generated from two main sources: 1) the CNC vacuum hold-down system (i.e., vacuums that hold down parts for the CNC cutting); and 2) the CNC dust collection system. Heat from the CNC machine vacuums and dust collection system was captured in the mechanical room. The control unit regulated where the hot air goes: in the shop (winter mode) or out the roof (summer mode). Before, this heat was simply pumped outside. But, the founder and owner, Greg Benson, pondered why not reuse this ‘waste’ heat to heat our shop? The mechanical room typically stayed around 90 degrees, producing enough British thermal units (BTUs) to heat our entire production facility. In other words, the shop could be up to 90 degrees if they wanted, but production crew usually likes it at 65F. Although the company did have an external heating system, they’ve never had to turn it on. Loll’s entire business model has been to make products with what most people see as waste. Reusing their ‘waste’ heat was just another way they demonstrated their mission andcommitment to the environment.
The urge to give back: In early 2016, Loll announced a $60,000 donation to be spread equally among three local outdoor nonprofits: Duluth Climbers Coalition, Duluth XC Ski Club, and Cyclists of GitcheeGumee Shores (COGGS). Since 2006, as part of their commitment to the community, Loll has contributed more than $362,000 in financial support for improved access to the outdoors with a focus on legacy outdoor projects.“Loll is a great example of how a business can have a positive impact on our entire community,” said Duluth Mayor Emily Larson. “When they do well, we do well.I am grateful for their support and applaud their investments to our outdoor experiences’. This donation is part of Loll’s commitment to 1% for the Planet ( a global organization of companies donating at least one percent of their annual net revenues to environmental organizations. “1% For The Planet” is a growing global movement of 1,201 companies that donate 1% of their gross sales to a network of more than 3,382 environmental organizations worldwide.
In addition, it fulfills Loll’s commitment to creating a lasting outdoor legacy in Duluth.“It’s exciting to see how our contribution can help transform Duluth’s outdoor infrastructure,” stated Greg Benson. “We know our commitment inspires others to do the same. These organizations are not only great stewards of their resources, but also help improve the community where we choose to live and work.”
Loll’s 2016 1% for the planet recipients:
-Cyclists of GitcheeGumee Shores(COGGS) has been improving cycling opportunities in the Duluth, MN, area since 1994. Its current focus is a project called the Duluth Traverse, a 100+ mile network of multiuse trail for mountain biking and other human-powered travel. When finished, the Duluth Traverse will span the entire 26-mile-long city limits and be the nation’s longest single track trail system within an urban environment.
-Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy(formerlyWill Steger Foundation), which educates and empowers people to engage in solutions to climate change. This year’s contribution is going toward the Foundation’s two-year projectClimate Minnesota: Local Stories, Community Solutions. The goal of this campaign is to increase public awareness of local climate change impacts and build community resiliency.A big part of Climate Minnesota includes convenings across the state, where the public can learn about local impacts, hear stories from community members, and help come up with real, place-based solutions.
-Sustainable Twin Ports: 2016 was the fifth year in a row that Loll has donated toSustainable Twin Ports, an organization working to further economic, environmental and social sustainability in Duluth, MN and Superior, WI, through education, networking and action.This year, Lollworked with Sustainable Twin Ports to create a scholarship that helps a small or emerging local business participate in the Sustainable Twin Ports’ 2015Early Adopter sustainability training program, which trains companies on environmentally, economically and socially sustainable business practices. Named the “Loll Designs Sustainability Scholarship,” the grant covers half of the program cost for a business.
-A Minneapolis, Minnesota-based organization of 3,000+ members,Friends of the Boundary Waters Wildernessworks to protect and restore theBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The organization formed in 1976 to protect this vulnerable area and two years later steered legislation through Congress that brought full protection to the BWCAW.This is the seventh year in a row Loll has donated to Friends. We were honored to receive the organization’s annual Conservation Award in 2014. Our 2015 contribution of $20,000 will go toward the organization’s fight against the threat of sulfide mining, which could adversely affect not only the BWCAW but also areas in the watershed extending to Duluth, Lake Superior and beyond.
“All of us at Loll are excited to be able to contribute to environmental groups working every day to keep our planet blue and green. We look forward to seeing the progress these organizations make in the coming year – and we feel good knowing we’ve helped make it happen”,commented Mr. Benson on the 2016 donations.
Recycled raw materials:Loll products were made from recycled milk jugs. More than 75 million jugs have been reclaimed. “We know there are 8 milk jugs in a pound of material and we know how many pounds of material we purchased over the last 10 years”, said Greg. “This figure is growing as we are always buying plastic”, he added.
But, how do you go from a milk jug to an Adirondack chair?Although you could melt plastic jugs down and turn them into new milk jugs, none of the milk containers in the U.S. were made from recycled material. That’s because of safety concerns related to bacterial and chemical contamination as well as strict Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. When milk jugs are reclaimed, the plastic is turned into nonfood items, like children’s toys (such as yo-yos and Frisbees) and Loll outdoor furniture.But according to the Environmental Protection Agency, only around 30 percent of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) – the type of #2 plastic used to make milk jugs – was recycled. The rest may spend hundreds of years decomposing in a landfill. According to the Plastics Museum in Leominster, Mass., Americans threw away 14.4 million tons of plastic each year. That was a lot of waste.So, how did the simple act of recycling your milk jugs reduce landfill waste and help create new products?
The recycling facility sorted the recyclables by plastic type. For example, ketchup bottles and yogurt containers are made of PP (polypropylene). This meant their chemical properties were different than detergent bottles and milk jugs (made of HDPE, or high-density polyethylene) and from soda bottles (made of PET/PETE, or polyethylene terephthalate).After the plastic was sorted, it was baled and sold to a reclaimer – a company that helped process plastic so it could be turned into other products.
The reclaimer had machines that shredded the plastic into small flakes. These flakes were washed, dried and sorted into natural flakes (like the ones from milk jugs) and colored flakes (such as those from detergent bottles).The flakes were melted at high temperature through a machine called an extruder and processed into pellets.The pellets are then processed into large sheets.These sheets could be used to make products, like the Loll furniture.
How to ship the final product has been on Greg’s mind from day one. “When you make a product, you have to be able to ship it. If you ship a chair in a box, you ship a lot of air. Dimensions really create the weight of the piece. It costs more to ship an assembled chair. Our goal is to ship everything flat”, he adamantly expressed. Loll designed a process to allow the customer to put the chair together. The system looked simple but it took a few years to perfect it.
Exhibit 7: From a Milk Jug to a Loll Chair
Working with local companies: Loll worked with the Duluth based Bent Paddle since the company launched publicly in May 2013. Their partnership began with tap handles Loll created using their signaturerecycled plastic material. Loll designed a recycled plastic cover that transformed a keg into a handy stool. The cover had all right grooves so it fits perfectly atop a keg – an ideal spot for lollygagging with a cold one!
Their latest collaboration was the Lollygagger Pale Ale. A flavorful West-coast style pale ale, the Lollygagger Pale Ale was nowavailable at the Bent Paddle taproom. Loll and Bent Paddle were donating 5 percent of all sales to Cyclists of GitcheeGumee Shores (COGGS). One oftheir 1% for the Planet recipients, COGGS was working to build the Duluth Traverse – the first 100+ mile system of single-track all within an urban environment. The contributions from this brew helped the organization complete the trail. By mid-2016, 54 miles of the planned 100-mile trail have been completed. If COGGS continued at its current pace, COGGS said the entire trail could be finished as soon as 2018, at a total cost of around $4 million when finished.
Exhibit 8: Bent Paddle Novelty Drink
Planting trees:As part of Loll’s commitment to helping the environment stay vibrant, clean and healthy, we held a tree planting and creek cleanup event every year. Loll partnered with their sister company, Epicurean, and other local businesses Bent Paddle Brewing Co., Involta, Republic Bank and Frost River to tackle Duluth’s Miller Creek at Lincoln Park. Starting in 2008, Loll staff has taken a field day each year and gone out to plant trees. All of us here are concerned with keeping our environment not only vibrant, but clean, healthy and beautiful too. We try to find places that are in need of watershed restoration and by providing some of what’s needed in the form of trees and shrubs we become a constructive part of restoring our local ecosystem. “We’re already looking forward to next year’s planning to focus on areas in Duluth which need it most. Plus, fresh air and getting your hands a bit dirty is always nice change from the office”, Greg chuckled.
A-zero-waste facility: At Loll, all of their outdoor furniture ws made from 100% recycled plastic. But, like all manufacturing facilities, they generated waste. The difference is what they did with our waste.Theyhad a process that recycled all of their waste. That’s how it worked:Loll uses CNC (computer numerical control) machines to cut recycled plastic sheets into furniture components. CNC machines are Loll’s best friends; they read our 3D design files and cut out parts so they didn’t have to cut them by hand (which they did for years).In the process of cutting the plastic sheets, they ended up with small plastic chips and extra chunks of plastic as waste products. (Think about making cookie cutouts – you always end up with extra dough after you’ve stamped the rolled-out dough. Same deal here.)Rather than sending this waste to the landfill, they sent it toChoice plastics, an industrial scrap plastic recycler in Mound, Minnesota. Each month Loll sent Choice Plastics around 30,000 pounds of scrap – waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill.Choice Plastic recycled the plastic and sells it to a drainage tubing manufacturer. Using Loll’s recycled plastic, this company manufactured environmentally friendly drainage pipes that offered viable green alternatives to concrete and steel pipes. “The fact that our waste could be turned into another product – just like they could turn used milk jugs into outdoor furniture – is truly a wonderful thing”, commented Mr. Benson. “It’s like thecircle of life”, he added.