Mater unveils sustainable Ocean series
Danish brand Mater has launched the Ocean collection – a new table and chair range that reimagines an original 1955 design by renowned 20th-century designers, Jørgen and Nanna Ditzel.
In a nod to its materiality, the Ocean collection is largely made from ocean plastic waste, one of the most important environmental issues facing the planet. Jørgen and Nanna Ditzel themselves used organic and innovative materials for their product designs, and with the new collection Mater seeks to continue their inventive approach.
Dennie Ditzel, Nanna and Jørgen Ditzel’s daughter, has been overseeing the Ditzel archive since Nanna’s death in 2005. On the collaboration, she says her mother “was fascinated by new materials and always experimenting with them, so this would just be ideal for her – this new iteration is very much in her spirit.”
The original design from 1955 was made up of a steel frame and timber veneer, and retains much of its form with the exception of a 5% increase in scale to accommodate modern proportions. The table and chair’s light structure with repeated slats and metal frames epitomises the Ditzel’s precise, practical and playful design sensibility, and is perfectly suited to the use of ocean plastic.
An innovative business model helped Mater gather 960g of ocean plastic waste for each chair, with fishermen from across the world encouraged to dispose of their discarded fishing nets to a specific recycling plant in Denmark. The collection honours the United Nations Global Goals of sustainable development, pushing the design industry towards a greener agenda, and is also designed for disassembly, meaning each component can be recycled in its purest form.
Henrik Marstrand, founder and CEO of Mater, adds: “Our planet is struggling and never before has it been more obvious that we need to take action to protect our environment. We are facing a global recycling crisis with waste plastic filling the ocean, being left carelessly on land and blown or washed into the sea. If we can create a product that is attractive, functional and durable, while cleaning up after the side effects of our collective consumerism, it’s a win-win.”
Mater has been committed to sustainable solutions since its inception, marrying high design with the latest in material innovation. The Ocean collection is another example of this, aiming to help tackle the critical problem of the pollution of the world’s oceans.
