Mater through the years

2006

200620072008201220192020202120222023202420252026

2006

Mater is founded in Copenhagen

Mater is founded in Copenhagen by Henrik Marstrand with an ambition to inspire the global design audience and engage people in sustainable thinking. From the outset, the ambition was to inspire a global design audience and engage people in sustainable action, working through collaboration with well-established and new design talents.

The use of FSC®-certified wood in our products has been a given right from the start and we are mainly using FSC® wood in our production. In an FSC®-certified forest, no more trees than the forest can reproduce are felled, so the exploitation of nature is avoided. FSC® also guarantees that flora and fauna are protected, and that the people who work in the forest are guaranteed education, safety and a fair pay.

2007

Mater High Stool is launched

Mater High Stool is launched, designed by the renowned Danish architecture duo Space Copenhagen. Characterised by its organic yet minimalist expression, the stool is well suited for both residential and commercial use. Today it's one of our most sold products and is a centerpiece in many hotels, bars and restaurants around the world. It's regarded as a New Danish Classic.

HIGH STOOL COLLECTION

2008

The High Stool in recycled aluminium

Launch of the Mater High Stool in recycled aluminum. 70% of the aluminum comes from recycled old pipes, tubing and other aluminum waste melted and mixed with new material to obtain the silvery expression. At Mater we see opportunities in waste and scrap materials to recycle, reuse and create new and durable products, and the aluminium High Stool was one of the first places that thinking took a visible form.

HIGH STOOL ALUMINIUM

2012

Bowl Table in mango wood

We introduce the Bowl Table made of mango wood. Mango wood is a byproduct of an already thriving industry. With a distinct passion for wood and quality textures, we partner with master artisans, exploring both ancient and modern techniques. Great craftsmanship and pure materials produce quality and durability, making design that lasts a lifetime and ages beautifully.

BOWL TABLE

2019

Ocean waste enters production

We start using ocean waste for our outdoor series and injection moulded chairs. Old fishing nets from the ocean are collected, washed, shredded and made into pellets, also known as green plastic. It moved our use of waste beyond wood and scrap metal, and into moulded plastic for both private and public use.

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2020

Matek® is created

In alliance with large corporations, Mater explores new technology that recycles industrial fibre and plastic waste. This results in five new unique patented materials under the name Matek®. Mater is continuously committed to finding and developing new waste materials and techniques that allow us to create more from less, and Matek® is where that work became a material of our own.

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2021

The Ocean Collection, from recycled beer kegs

The Ocean Collection is launched in a version of recycled beer kegs from Carlsberg. In line with the circular way of thinking, the OC2 Collection can be found in the outdoor area of Carlsberg's headquarters in Copenhagen. It is an example of what happens when the waste of one industry becomes the material of another.

THE OCEAN COLLECTION

2022

The Mater Takeback system

Introducing our Mater Takeback system. We offer to take all furniture made with Matek® back at the end of its life to recycle it into new furniture. The future of the planet relies on circular solutions and green innovations, and that's what we work for.

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2023

E-waste enters Matek®

We incorporated e-waste (end-of-life electronic appliances) in our Matek® production. E-waste is considered the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. Bringing it into Matek® gave the material a new source, and kept a difficult waste stream in use rather than out of it.

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2024

Biodegradable Matek™

Launch of our biodegradable Matek™ variant. Using biodegradable plastic with the Matek™ technology allows the Matek™ to be decomposable by living organisms in the same way as wood or any other natural material would. As a company, we will never stand still.

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2025

Our first lighting collection in Matek®

Our first lighting collection crafted from Matek®. Until now, Matek® has primarily been used for chair seats and tabletop surfaces, and developing the technology for smaller, more intricate components took time and a good deal of testing. From old woodturning communities to the newest LED techniques, we constantly explore materials and production methods that are friendly towards mother earth without compromising aesthetics. The lighting collection marks a new chapter in our ambition to transform waste materials into design furniture.

TERRA COLLECTION

2026

Matek® in larger formats

This year marks the introduction of a new generation of Matek® applications through the launch of larger-format tabletops. For the first time, Matek® is produced in significantly larger dimensions, opening new possibilities for workspace design and architectural applications. It moves the material out of the seat and the small tabletop and into larger surfaces for both private and public use, twenty years after the first Mater products were made.

MATEK® DESK

20 years later

We're still exploring.

Still experimenting.

Still making more from what already exists.

As a company, we will never stand still. Mater is continuously committed to finding and developing new waste materials and techniques that allow us to create more from less. The future of the planet relies on circular solutions and green innovations, and that's what we work for.