Alder Coffee Table

Innovative Danish brand Mater reuses everything from coffee shells to plastic waste to create their sustainable designs. Based in Copenhagen since 2006, they’ve long championed an approach to manufacturing that prioritizes minimal environmental impact. Their name means “mother” in Latin, signaling a promise to honor Mother Earth through high-quality pieces with timeless simplicity.

Through years of research and testing, Mater invented Matek® — a unique, patented material that enables the brand to make furniture from waste materials. Matek offers unprecedented tactility and materiality with features that resemble timeless materials like stone, terrazzo, or even marble. It’s water-repellent and highly durable, and considered to be a material in line with wood, stone, or any other raw material. The newest version of Matek® is biodegradable and decomposes fully over time.

Testing and fine-tuning technology has enabled Mater to integrate biodegradable plastic as a binder material in the brand’s Matek material. It’s made using renewable resources instead of fossil fuels like conventional plastic. Sugarcane is the key ingredient. After extracting juice from the sugarcane plant, the dried leaves are used as fuel to heat and ferment the sugarcane juice. This sustainable approach minimizes waste and reduces environmental footprint. Additionally, sugarcane is a rapidly renewable resource. It absorbs carbon dioxide and can be harvested without artificial irrigation.