Danish furniture brand Mater re-launched an iconic outdoor seating collection called Ocean. The Ocean range was initially created in 1955 by Danish modern design couple Nanna and Jørgen Ditzel who used slats of timber veneer. Back in 2019, Mater re-imagined the collection with recycled ocean plastic and fishing nets—staying true to the contemporary movement for more sustainable production. This new rendition of the outdoor seating capsule has been completed in collaboration with Carlsberg. Titled ‘Ocean OC2,’ the furniture is made out of recycled beer kegs.
Mater founder, Henrik Marstrand, has stated that the company is consistently looking for new collaborations that will give them access to upcycled plastic or other waste streams. Because of this, Mater is successful in reducing their carbon footprint—an Ocean OC2 chair, for example, generates less than half of the CO2 emissions as a similar piece made out of virgin plastic.
Image Credit: Dezeen
What's Driving This Trend
- Sustainable Outdoor Furniture
- Mater's use of upcycled materials displays a trend toward sustainable outdoor furniture design.
- Circular Design Collaborations
- Mater's partnership with Carlsberg demonstrates a trend in circular design collaborations with companies aiming for more sustainable production.
- Modernizing Traditional Designs
- Mater's reimagining of the Ocean seating collection shows a trend toward modernizing traditional designs with sustainable materials and production methods.
Who This Affects Most
- Furniture Manufacturing
- The furniture manufacturing industry can benefit from exploring and implementing sustainable design practices that utilize upcycled materials.
- Sustainable Packaging
- The use of recycled beer kegs in the Ocean OC2 chair highlights opportunities for the sustainable packaging industry to repurpose waste materials for functional products.
- Beverage Production
- Collaborations like the one between Mater and Carlsberg demonstrate opportunities for the beverage production industry to prioritize sustainability and circular design in their operations and product offerings.
