Too much new, damaged furniture gets thrown out. This company proves there’s a better approach

However, as online furniture sales have exploded in recent years—it’s now around a $58 billion market in the U.S.—that discount room has ostensibly disappeared. If your coffee table arrives at your house scratched, and you return it for a refund, chances are good that it’s simply sent to the landfill, or you’re asked to dispose of it yourself. Because that’s how retailers handle all sorts of home goods, even goods that are still in perfect shape.

But the Detroit-based furniture company Floyd is proving that another model can work. Their program, Full Cycle, takes back items damaged in transit, which is under 2% of their total orders. Then it mixes and matches parts, like table legs, as necessary to make fully functional (if aesthetically flawed) kits. Floyd resells these items online at a discount.

The model doesn’t sound all that complicated, but it’s also a rarity in the industry—a rarity that’s already working out pretty well for everyone. Now a year into the program, the company has revealed just how well Full Cycle is going in terms of sustainability to both the environment and their business model. And they’re doing it pretty transparently.