Material ConneXion


Material ConneXion is a materials consultancy that helps companies source advanced materials to enhance the performance, aesthetics and sustainability of their projects. The company is headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1997. Material ConneXion was acquired by SANDOW in 2011.
In addition to its New York office, the company has locations in Bangkok, Bilbao, Daegu, Milan, Skövde and Tokyo, and also maintains an online materials database.
Material ConneXion maintains a physical library of over 8000 materials and processes categorized based on their chemical composition: Polymers, Naturals, Metals, Glass, Processes, Ceramics, Cement-based, Carbon-based.

Work and reception

Material ConneXion clients have included design and architecture firms, government agencies, and large corporations such as Adidas, Target Corporation, PUMA, and BMW.
In 2001, designer Sandy Chilewich discovered a woven vinyl material in Material ConneXion's library that led to her Chilewich brand of household products and accessories. The company also worked with designer Harry Allen to find a sustainable, low-cost, post-industrial polypropylene packaging material for Aveda’s Ukuru line of cosmetics. In 2004, Material ConneXion helped Nike source a monofilament sleeving normally used to protect PVC pipes from bursting for use in its Air Jordan XIX.
In 2007, Material ConneXion was named a “Top Eco-Innovator” by The New York Times for its efforts to make information on sustainable materials and sustainable design practices more readily available to designers and corporations.
In 2016, the American Society of Interior Designers opened a Material ConneXion Library at its corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C. in partnership with the American Chemistry Council. The library features samples of innovative materials and products with an emphasis on health and wellness in the built environment.
Through its partnership with McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry and the Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency, Material ConneXion is the only Materials Library in the world to feature Cradle to Cradle assessed and certified materials and the only materials consultancy to offer Cradle to Cradle Certification and Cradle to Cradle product development.