Material Impact Fund

Your gateway to the building resources of tomorrow

What is the Material Impact Fund?

The Material Impact Fund is a gateway that secures access to a predictable volume of high-quality, low-carbon secondary raw materials and a return system for building parts through long-term contracts on portfolios of property & infrastructure owners.

Why a Material Impact fund

Affordability and continuity in construction can only be guaranteed if enough raw materials and building supplies with a low impact on the environment can be obtained. Companies that want to stay in business need to future-proof themselves by getting hold of a guaranteed, predictable supply of low-carbon raw materials in volumes they can depend on, thereby directly contributing to the goals of the Paris climate agreement. The Material Impact Fund secures these sustainable sources of secondary raw materials with a minimal environmental footprint on behalf of its participants.

How does the Material Impact Fund work?

The Material Impact Fund gateway connects industry, real-estate and infrastructure frontrunners through specific material funds ‒ giving access to low-carbon building resources and raw materials for building material companies and real-estate projects.

What is the status of the Material Impact Fund?

The Material Impact Fund has conducted in-depth research on its working principles in 2024 and 2025 based on years of business and market experience and in close collaboration with dedicated real-estate and knowledge partners. It has recently launched the innovation pathway in which the Material Impact Team explores in 2025-2026 the gateway principles with companies Knauf, Soprema, Kingspan and Urban Mine to integrate the fund into their business.

About the initiators

The Material Impact Fund is an initiative of entrepreneurs Michel Baars, Mirjam Schmüll and Hylke Faber. Together they bring over 70 years of experience in the sustainable and circular construction economy as (co-)founders of companies and initiatives such as urban mining company New Horizon, the Urban Mining Institute, MOOS (a builder of modular, circular houses), circular concept agency Brokkenmákers, innovation lab for area development Merwede LAB and building marketplace place Gebouwenmarktplaats.

Michel Baars

Michel Baars is a pioneering entrepreneur transforming the construction industry from linear to circular. After nearly 20 years leading Search, Michel continues to revolutionize building through circular innovation and impactful collaborations. As founder of New Horizon, the Urban Mining Institute, and co-founder of MOOS, he proves that sustainability and profitability go hand in hand.

Mirjam Schmüll

Mirjam Schmüll is a visionary changemaker in sustainable construction and winner of the Provada Inspiraton Award 2024. With experience at circular building pioneers such as William McDonough+Partners, RAU Architecten, and as co-founder of Turntoo, she helped shape concepts like Light-as-a-Service and the building material passport. Through Merwede LAB Mirjam drives innovation in circular area development.

Hylke Faber

Hylke Faber is the founder of circular design firm Brokkenmákers and initiator of Gebouwenmarktplaats, a platform and movement that drives supply-driven design among developing property owners in the Netherlands. The platform supports design and development based on properties to be relocated or dismantled to achieve immediate CO2 savings by directly incorporating reuse into the design process for new buildings.