Madaster emerged in 2017 from a conversation between architect Thomas Rau and consultant Pablo van den Bosch, who launched the Madaster Foundation in Amsterdam as a non-profit to register materials in buildings and prevent waste. The platform assigns identities to materials via digital passports, enabling reuse in construction and real estate. Headquartered in Laren, near Amsterdam, the for-profit Madaster Services operates alongside the foundation, reporting $6 million in 2024 revenue and 15-21 employees.
By 2022, it expanded to six European countries—Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, and Austria—registering over 16 million square meters of floor area across 4,000 buildings. In the Netherlands alone, about 2,000 buildings are documented. Pioneers called "Kennedys," such as Lindner Group in Germany and alchemia-nova in Austria, build its material library.
Recent projects include Amsterdam Metropolitan Area authorities using passports for circular tenders, Vitens tracking drinking water infrastructure materials, and Aveco de Bondt applying them in design phases. Dutch regulations since 2023 mandate circularity in government tenders, while Germany requires passports for some projects. Madaster now covers infrastructure alongside real estate, driven by EU Green Deal pressures.