Vancouver-based Urbanjacks is helping shape B.C.’s circular economy by diverting wood waste and turning it into valuable resources. The team answered five fast questions revealing how their work has made them a pillar of sustainable production.
What was the intention behind starting Urbanjacks?
Urbanjacks was founded in 2021 with a simple but urgent mission: divert wood waste from landfills and give it a second life. What began as a master’s thesis by founder Co-Founder Matthäus Hermann – researching opportunities to recycle construction wood waste in B.C. – has grown into a thriving operation committed to advancing the circular economy. Today, Urbanjacks collects discarded wood from across the province and transforms it into high-quality, finger-jointed reclaimed lumber for reuse in building, design, and even on screen.
How are you partnering with the B.C. motion picture industry to make it more sustainable?
From the start, the motion picture industry has been one of Urbanjacks’ most engaged partners. Set construction is fast-paced and generates significant wood waste—waste that often ends up in landfills.
Urbanjacks offers a better option: wood waste bins from productions are sent to our facility, where materials are carefully sorted, measured, and processed into fingerjointed lumber. This same lumber can then be re-used to build the next production’s set, keeping resources in use and out of the waste stream. The best part? Every production receives a customized sustainability report of every bin they send, outlining the measurable impact of their diversion efforts – quantifying CO₂ reductions, landfill diversion, and more. It’s a circular model that makes sense for both the planet and the industry.
What is a recent achievement or green win Urbanjacks has had?
In late 2024, we proudly opened our new manufacturing facility, equipped with cutting-edge technology – a major milestone that increases both our production efficiency and scalability. We celebrated this moment with industry peers, partners, and academics who share our commitment to building a more sustainable wood ecosystem.
We also want to highlight one of our biggest green wins of 2024, made possible through collaboration with B.C.’s dedicated film and TV industry:
- In 2024, our partners in the movie industry diverted 68.35 m³ of wood waste from landfill – reducing 48,348.41 kg of CO₂ emissions. That’s equivalent to 234,701 km driven by car, or the amount of carbon it would take 2,220 trees to absorb.
This progress is only possible thanks to strong partnerships across the industry. And we’re just getting started – we’re aiming for even bigger impact this year!
How do you work with the Reel Green™ community?
We’re proud to be one of Reel Green™’s Green Vendors, providing sustainable solutions to British Columbia’s motion picture industry. We’ve taken part in Reel Green™’s Green Production Training and actively collaborate with their partners to align on shared sustainability goals. Our facility tours offer industry professionals a firsthand look at circular design and sustainable reuse in action. We’re always exploring new ways to support greener practices across production workflows.
Pictured: Lina Kastl, Urbanjacks Marketing and Communications; Matt Hermann, Urbanjacks Co-Founder, Mischa Kowalchuck, Urbanjacks Production; Aurel Zollner, Research Student; Justin Barnes, Lead, Reel Green™.
Where can crews find more information about Urbanjacks’ work and services?
Reach out to get your bin installed on set: Urbanjacks Website
See how easy it is for your production to recycle wood: Movie Industry 3-Pager
Follow Urbanjacks on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn.