A big family, a timber factory and a name that stuck.
Harith Ridzuan is the Malaysian entrepreneur behind The Green Carpenter, The Green Factory and Dapo. He grew up in Ampang, joined the family timber business in 2008, and began turning it into a sustainable manufacturer in 2012.
Early lessons in a big family
I was born on 11 May 1985 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where my parents met while studying at Louisiana State University. When I was two we returned to Malaysia and settled in Ampang, Selangor.
As the eldest of ten siblings, life was always lively and chaotic. My upbringing was shaped by a strict Islamic environment. My father’s missionary work kept him away for long stretches, so my siblings and I were raised mostly by my mother, grandmother and grandaunt.
Boarding school and a taste of discipline
I switched schools several times in my early teens, which forced me to adapt quickly. At fourteen I enrolled in the Royal Military College. Life there was tough: early drills, a demanding academic schedule and plenty of sport. I got hooked on martial arts, including silat, boxing and kickboxing.
Those four years gave me physical and mental endurance, and a strong sense of loyalty and camaraderie that I carried into my business dealings. Beyond sport, I loved strategy games, which sparked my curiosity for computers, and I devoured books and comics.
Finding my path: sustainability and craftsmanship
School holidays at our family’s wood factory gave me first-hand exposure to industrial operations. I saw how products were made and where things could be improved. I also saw the downside: wood waste, and the toxic smell of chemically treated adhesives and coatings.
After studying Management at the University of Nottingham, I joined the family business in 2008, aged 23. The company was already fifteen years old, focused on conventional furniture manufacturing, trading and interior fit-outs for public institutions, government agencies, GLCs and private corporations.
The defining moment came in 2012, when I learned that Malaysia had one of the world’s highest deforestation rates. As someone who grew up in the timber industry, that hit hard. I didn’t want to contribute to the problem. I wanted to be part of the solution.
The birth of The Green Carpenter
My earliest experiments with eco-friendly materials didn’t always go smoothly. Workers had to adjust their methods, and my mother, who played a key role in the business, was sceptical when she saw me hauling “scrap wood” into the factory. But side projects with like-minded friends proved that scrap could rival newly milled timber in quality.
Once a few cafés started commissioning upcycled furniture, the direction solidified. Green furniture became a real business. In 2013 I branded myself Harith Green Carpenter to separate a new revenue stream from our traditional work. In plain terms, “green carpenter” describes my work making wooden furniture with attention to materials, waste and the environment. The name became my professional identity for the next fifteen years.
In 2015 I founded Dapo, a lifestyle brand for high-quality woodware, with my wife Aiqa handling visual communication while I grew the range. Bespoke work followed for Ben’s, Mandarin Oriental, Jibby & Co, The Ruma Residence and Entier. The business grew into sustainable furniture, kitchenware and bespoke pieces for restaurants and hotels.
It became clear that sustainability wasn’t just something to practise in our own factory.
From manufacturer to advocate
As traction grew, invitations to speak followed, starting with my first talk at INTI International University in 2016 on upcycling in design. Media and TV began calling. The more I spoke, the more businesses and policymakers asked for insight.
I needed to move from running a green business to advocating for sustainable practice at scale.
The Green Factory
In 2017 we moved from a one-acre facility in Sungai Buloh to a compact 13,000 sq ft factory in Ampang, my hometown. Operating in less than a third of the space was an opportunity to apply circular principles and refine our processes.
The Green Factory was born: a hub for green manufacturing, research and design. We were awarded the Good Design Japan Award in 2018. We create hundreds of sustainable designs a year and have opened our doors to thousands of visitors. Since 2019 we’ve hosted an annual open factory day, and at our peak in 2023 we reached 45 team members.
Evolving into The Green Factor
Businesses needed more than sustainable products. They needed guidance on how to transition. The Green Factor is a separate brand from The Green Factory and is my consultancy and expertise arm. It started in 2020, during Covid, as a podcast when corporates were stuck at home, and I have since interviewed more than eighty industry leaders.
Today it bridges vision and execution, from procurement strategy and product design to operational optimisation, and it has grown beyond timber into waste innovation and new sustainable materials.
What’s next
These are only the highlights. The failures and the triumphs, military school’s influence on how I run a business, the first epic fails with discarded materials, and the chaos of moving to The Green Factory are waiting to be told in full.
I’ll be releasing my complete journey in hardcopy and eBook formats. To hear when it lands, follow my channels or get in touch.
Common questions about Harith
Who is Harith Ridzuan?
Harith Ridzuan is a Malaysian entrepreneur, sustainability speaker and ESG consultant based in Kuala Lumpur. He is known as The Green Carpenter. He runs The Green Factory and launched Dapo, Malaysia's first PEFC-certified homeware brand.
Who is The Green Carpenter?
The Green Carpenter is the name Harith Ridzuan uses for his sustainability work. He first branded himself Harith Green Carpenter in 2013 to separate his upcycled, sustainably made furniture from his family's traditional business. Today the name covers his talks, consulting and collaborations.
What is The Green Factory?
The Green Factory is Harith's manufacturing hub in Ampang, Selangor, for green manufacturing, research and design. It moved to a compact 13,000 sq ft factory in 2017, uses circular economy practice and upcycling, and welcomes visitors, including an annual open factory day. It won the Good Design Japan Award in 2018.
What is the difference between The Green Factory and The Green Factor?
The Green Factory and The Green Factor are separate brands. The Green Factory is the production side: it makes products and runs the factory in Ampang. The Green Factor is Harith's consultancy and expertise arm. It started in 2020, during Covid, as a podcast when corporates were home bound, and now covers consulting and expertise, building on more than 80 interviews with industry leaders.
What awards has The Green Carpenter won?
Awards include the Good Design Japan Award (2018), the Europa Awards for Sustainability, Best Environmental Impact, SME category (2018), the MTCC Sustainability Awards (2019), the Malaysian Timber Council Industry Awards (2022), the PEKA Young Entrepreneur Award for Green Furniture (2023) and the Sustainable Energy and Green Technology International Innovation Award (2024). In 2025 Harith became a Certified Industrial Designer with the Malaysia Design Council. He was also named a Tatler Gen.T Leader of Tomorrow and a Prestige Malaysia Top 40 Under 40 honoree in 2021.
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