Sanaz Dastgheibi
Tsai-Chen Yang
TIAS School for Business and Society
Mirjam Minderman
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The innovation of Madaster is its approach to promoting circularity in the construction industry through the use of a digital platform that tracks the materials used in buildings and infrastructure objects. By creating a digital twin of each construction object and registering the materials used in it, Madaster enables the reuse of these materials at the point of decommissioning, rather than their disposal in landfills.
The platform provides a library of information on materials and products, including their impact on circularity and the environment. This information creates awareness and understanding among customers, making it easier to reuse materials, reduce waste, and minimize environmental impact. Madaster's approach helps shift the construction industry away from a linear economy, in which materials are wasted, towards a circular economy, in which materials are reused and their value is retained.
According to Pablo van den Bosch, co-founder of Madaster, they wanted to overcome the conflict between business people that mostly focus on profit and people who are worried about the future and environment by changing the building material in a sustainable way. In a closed system like the Earth, all materials are limited editions and ultimately end up back where they started. However, in a linear economy, materials are wasted and sent to landfill. Construction materials, in particular, are a significant source of carbon emissions due to their final destination: the grave. Madaster aims to overcome this issue by promoting reuse in a circular economy. By designing buildings with circularity in mind from the beginning and properly decommissioning them, materials can be reused instead of discarded. This reduces CO2 emissions and minimizes the risk of climate change. Madaster facilitates circularity by providing a platform for registering construction objects and their materials, enriching data with environmental and financial information, generating passports, and providing insights into circular and environmental performance. By tracking the use of construction materials, Madaster creates awareness and understanding of the materials' impact on the environment and promotes reuse to reduce waste and minimize the impact on the environment. Madaster's system thinking is based on the idea of giving materials back to nature and promoting a circular construction industry.
Circular construction methods and management are important in the construction and financial sector, which contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is becoming a legal requirement in more and more countries. Madaster aligns with SDG 9 because they offer an innovative way to expand access to dependable and sustainable infrastructure, encourage sustainable industry, and improve capabilities for research and development. Moreover, Madaster meets SDG 12 because of its platform, which enables asset owners and real estate developers to construct buildings that are more resource-efficient, generate less trash, and generate less waste overall.
"Madaster has an overall impact on existing processes," said Pablo. Due to it being difficult to obtain the necessary knowledge and tools to launch initiatives in the construction business, real estate developers do not consider the environmental impact. Yet, Madaster offers an original approach to help companies shift to the circular economy while balancing their revenue and sustainability objectives. Madaster invests in IT spending, R&D, and the creation of a data solution that helps customers secure environmentally sound management of materials and waste in an effort to resolve the conflict between sustainability and profitability.
"I want a better planet," Pablo stated during the interview. "Business is overly focused on a single goal: to make money. But that is not future-proof, which is why we started this company." Madaster offers a solution for innovating business models and developing sustainable innovations in the construction industry to ensure businesses can be profitable while not harming our world.
Madaster's business model involves providing a platform for the registration, documentation, and management of materials and products used in buildings, infrastructure, and other constructions.
Madaster generates revenue by charging users a fee for accessing and using the platform. They offer a range of subscription plans based on the number of buildings and the level of features and support required. They also offer consulting and advisory services to help clients integrate the circular economy into their operations and projects.
Madaster provides several business benefits. First, businesses can save costs by registering and monitoring their building materials and waste streams, as well as identifying possibilities to decrease waste and improve material reuse. Furthermore, buildings that recycle materials outperform in terms of rental revenue and are typically eligible for substantial development subsidies. Second, Madaster provides a platform for businesses to comply with current and potential waste management and sustainability legislation and regulations, and businesses may improve supply chain transparency and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability to consumers and stakeholders. Finally, Madaster supports the use of recycled and repurposed materials in the building industry, which results in the development of novel products and services. This method also reduces trash generation associated with maintenance and repair activities, cutting carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, it may be possible to convert such trash into financial resources through recycling. Madaster also assists building owners in anticipating their buildings' maintenance needs by providing data on all materials used in a single entity in a user-friendly and simply accessible format.
Madaster has both social and environmental benefits by promoting circularity and assisting businesses in improving their sustainability performance. Madaster helps to reduce waste by providing a database of materials and products used in buildings that can be reused, recycled, or repurposed. In addition, by promoting the reuse of materials, Madaster helps to increase resource efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of construction. Moreover, Madaster is willing to work with people around the world who want to have a positive impact and understand their culture and mindset to help them with sustainable construction. As Pablo previously stated, he seeks to close the gap between culture and sustainability in countries with few resources and provides support by sharing their platform.
Ultimately, Madaster advocates for a more ethical and ecological approach to construction, reducing its negative effects on the social and natural landscape and encouraging the development of a more circular economy. Pablo concluded by saying, "Always consider as a human being, listen to your inner self what you want to achieve, and how important it is."
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Pablo van den Bosch, Board Member
Madaster is a digital platform that promotes material reuse in the construction industry, with the goal of creating a circular economy. It operates in several countries and offers clients various benefits, such as circularity data and an innovative builder reputation. Madaster helps people and organizations achieve their dreams of a better world through sustainable building and materials.