Natura Mater

For a circular construction industry

Project guidance, training, knowledge sharing and a library full of sustainable building materials... Natura Mater does everything to accelerate the ecological transition of the construction sector by making sustainable materials the norm. From a linear to a (more) circular sector.

The construction sector is responsible for 30% of waste and 40% of our CO₂ emissions. More than half of this impact is due to the materials used. According to Natura Mater, there is still significant room for circular improvement, and the solutions are within reach. They strive to accelerate the ecological transition of the construction sector by informing, raising awareness, and increasing trust. In this way, they aim to make sustainable building materials the new standard.

Their vision and design approach are based on three fundamental pillars: avoid, shift, and improve.

• Avoid: The most sustainable product is the one you don't use. By focusing on design for sufficiency and the use of reclaimed elements, the creation of new waste and the extraction of new raw materials are avoided.
• Shift: Where 'avoid' is not feasible, the focus is on regenerative materials. These are circular, local, healthy, and renewable.
• Improve: If 'shift' is not feasible, conventional construction methods are maximally optimized, for example, through upcycling, recycling, reversible design and low-impact production methods.

Natura Mater also offers training and guidance to professionals in the construction sector, from contractors and architects to builders and project developers. They guide them through the range of sustainable materials and help them master their implementation. Since 2020, more than 600 architects have attended their training sessions, and over 200,000m² of projects have been supported.

All sustainable building materials can be viewed in their physical materials library, the 'Materatek,' which forms the heart of every workshop or project guidance session.