In Denmark, one of Europe’s leading nations for design-oriented, high-quality and sustainable furniture production, a quiet revolution is currently taking place in the furniture industry, the significance and scope of which is still relatively unnoticed. It is about recycling and upcycling furniture on an industrial scale.

Progress often takes place gradually in a very lengthy process, divided into many small individual events. This is why things are often not seen in their overall context and in their respective significance. However, if we take a higher position of observation and overall analysis and also look at a longer period of time, it becomes clear that we are already in the advanced phase of a profound upheaval. Some companies in the furniture industry are now able to manufacture larger quantities of products with fully circular materials. Not so long ago, it was mainly small start-ups that were committed to the artisanal production of small sustainable collections for mostly idealistic, not primarily economic reasons. It was not yet possible for larger companies with higher sales figures and a necessary secure procurement process for the raw materials to produce furniture series from purely sustainable materials. This has changed fundamentally in the last 2-3 years. The main reason is the steadily increasing demand for recycled source materials and the resulting increase in suppliers, as well as the progress in technologies for the production of high-quality materials with assured qualities from waste materials.

Away from the beautiful design world of finished products, a number of companies have developed in the preliminary stage of furniture production that can supply new high-quality raw materials for the industry from waste materials. In addition, large companies from a wide range of industries are devoting themselves more intensively than ever to the recycling of their products and supplying the furniture industry, among others, with their recycled materials.

In the furniture industry, which largely manufactures products of limited complexity, the issue of fully sustainable production has emerged as the biggest driver of innovation in recent years. Furniture and accessories from sustainable production without compromising on design and quality are in the process of conquering the broad market.

So far, however, there are only a few manufacturers who have already completely or almost completely converted their product portfolio to the production of sustainable raw materials and have the necessary know-how for the integrated processes.

One of these companies is the Danish company Mater. With the support of investors, Mater has developed a technology for manufacturing a material for the production of furniture shells and load-bearing components that is based entirely on waste materials from various industries and companies. Mater now manufactures a large part of its own product portfolio with the patented material Matek™ and is very successful with it. Matek™ consists of two key components. The first is a fiber material, which is mostly of organic origin, such as sawdust or coffee chaff from coffee production, and the second is a binding material made from plastic waste, e.g. from the electrical or fishing industries. The innovation was even featured in a report on German national television in early 2024: (https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/panorama/moebel-design-nachhaltig-muell-plan-b-100.html)

Mater is supported for certain products by another start-up from Denmark. This company is a:gain from Copenhagen. a:gain is dedicated to upcycling discarded materials or waste from various industries to create attractive and competitively priced new construction and furniture products. The company’s approach is to only develop circular products whose procurement and production can be scaled as required. The current portfolio ranges from wooden flooring to interior partitions, acoustic panels, table tops and façade cladding. a:gain now has an impressive list of project references and is now looking to expand into Germany.

Established and well-known manufacturers are currently still somewhat more cautious. They also have an existing product portfolio that needs to be modernized and adapted very carefully so as not to jeopardize the brand essence. However, in view of the impressive range of new circular companies, which also have a head start in terms of expertise in the design and processing of industrially scalable sustainable materials, you don’t have much time left to change your product range.

Given the wide availability of truly sustainable and circular furniture and building products, users and commercial buyers should now consistently promote these new companies and ensure that their purchasing decisions continue the transition to fully circular furniture and building products.