Mafi Wins the Energy Globe Award 2011

Mafi has won the prestigious Energy Globe Award for its production of timber as part of the Linz Chamber of Commerce annual Energy Globe World Awards ceremony.

At Mafi we have always believed in an ecological and sustainable approach to our work with wood. A strong focus on maintaining an all-natural process without compromising energy  and timber resources is central to daily operations. This unique approach in to the production of Mafi products permeates through the entire organisation – from material procurement to the products themselves, to the packaging, the delivery, research, the installation and the maintenance and care of the product thereof. Mafi’s responsibility towards nature leads, ultimately, to an increasing of awareness around the natural use of wood.

As part of the Energy Globe Award, Mafi put its previous work along with its philosophy to the test – and was successful. “We are very proud of winning the Energy Globe Award. But we are especially pleased to be able to show that a successful business does not need to be at the expense of the conservative use of natural resources –  but quite the opposite. Our Mafi natural wood floors are so popular because each floor is absolutely unique, just like the tree from which it was made.” says Friedrich Fillafer, Managing Director of Mafi Austria.

Mafi as a Trendsetter in the Natural Wood Flooring Industry

From its home in Schneegattern, Upper Austria, Mafi exports it’s all-natural, innovative wood flooring to over 50 countries around the world. Some of our clientele include celebrities such as Claudia Schiffer, Giorgio Armani and star architect Norman Foster who all trust Mafi natural wood floorings for their unique, natural beauty.

As part of Mafis responsibility to nature, we ensure nothing is wasted during the manufacturing process. As such, we make use of the entire tree, meaning each floor is as unique as the tree it is sourced. “Nature is our best designer,” says Friedrich Fillafer. On a sustainable level, wastage from the production of the timber boards is turned in to pellets used to heat the entire company. Apart from electricity, the company mafi is thus fully self-sufficient.

Mafi’s unique approach to the sustainable production of timber products is reflected in our extensive product range. At Mafi we are able to provide different timbers in a variety of lengths and sizes, as well as in a range of different shades. Short boards like the Mafi Piccolino or Vulcanino are particularly well suited for parquetry and special installation layouts and extra-wide slats are specially offered with impressive lengths of up to 5m. The Mafi Vulcano flooring offers a real and sustainable alternative to tropical wood floors. It allows Mafi to abstain from the use of tropical timber and rely only on domestic wood species. The complex thermal treatment uses only heat, wind and water and is completely chemical-free. Mafi Vulcano not only darkens the colour of the wood, but it also reduces swelling, shrinkage and internal stress properties of the wood.

Thanks to breakthroughs in technical innovations, Mafi have created the new and exclusive Carving and Fresco ranges. The Mafi Carving Edition not only sets new trends in design but also visually broadens narrower slats through special engravings. The designs span multiple slats and thus create a larger surface appearance using fewer resources. The 3-D surfaces of the Mafi Fresco Edition are especially enjoyable barefoot. The raised upper layer performs a slight but nonetheless enjoyable massage effect. This unique design saw the Mafi Fresco Duna White Oil be awarded the Honourable Mention Award in the Red Dot Design Award in 2009.

An equally groundbreaking and ecological trend is Mafis natural oiled surfaces. Mafi was the first in the industry to establish an efficient, all-natural product to replace paint and chemical treatments in the production of wood floorings. The Mafi oil penetrates deeply into the top layer of the wood flooring to create a more robust and resistant surface without forming a film layer. It allows the wood to breathe and hence it is able to retain its natural beneficial properties.

“We do not negate the natural appearance of the wood, we celebrate it. Hand planed wells and the individual colours of the cracks are only the tip of the tradecraft iceberg. Our Carving designs, 3D surfaces and Vulcano floorings complete the picture,” says Friedrich Fillafer. “Last but not least, we remain true to our motto ‘made in Austria’. Production takes place exclusively in Upper Austria and Salzburg and plays an important role for many regional suppliers,” says Friedrich Fillafer. The next step to be made by mafi in a sustainable future is the vision of its own power plant for in-house electricity generation.