Turn Waste Containers Into Container Cafe

Container was invented half a century ago, and today it has become a key element of the global product distribution network.

However, the service life of shipping containers is only 10 to 15 years. The CEO of Tex, the world's largest container leasing company, once said that from 2004 to 2008, the annual output of shipping containers alone was about 3 million TEU (International Standard Box). At the same time, about one million TEU containers withdrew from the market due to obsolescence. How to deal with these waste containers efficiently has become a serious problem.

The SG Blocks company, founded in New York in 2007, sees business opportunities among them: in addition to being a means of transportation, containers can also be used as a kind of valuable container.

The company's founder and chief executive, Paul Calvin, said: "SG Blocks hopes to make this form of housing acceptable to mainstream society."

Calvin pointed out that container construction has the following advantages: depending on the construction location, its construction cost is usually 10-12% lower than traditional buildings; construction time is 40% lower; and it is more resistant to extreme weather such as hurricanes. Each container weighs 8,000 pounds (about 3,630 kg), is 40 feet (about 12 meters) long, and can carry 50,000 pounds (about 22,680 kg). Containers can also be layered if required by the customer.

The industry believes that the emergence of this company is in line with two major trends: prefabricated building construction is gaining recognition; the world economy is increasingly emphasizing green environmental protection.