MARCH MATERIALS

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 27/06/2026  |  Effective date: 10/08/2026

1. Introduction

March Materials UG (“March Materials”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your data when you use the March Materials platform at app.marchmaterials.com (the “Platform”).

The Platform is a professional platform connecting architects, interior designers, and other construction professionals with building material suppliers. This policy applies to all users of the Platform, including architects, interior designers, and other construction professionals, together with their clients and others involved in a building project, such as building owners and developers, material suppliers, and participants in the MARCH Awards competition.

This policy has been prepared in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and, where applicable, the UK GDPR. March Materials UG acts as the data controller for personal data processed through the Platform.

We keep this policy under regular review and will post updates on this page. We encourage you to review it periodically.

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

March Materials UG

app.marchmaterials.com

Contact: [email protected]

If you have questions about this policy, your data, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us at the email address above.

3. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to all users of the Platform, including:

• Architects, interior designers, other construction professionals, and their clients or others involved in a building project (such as building owners and developers), registered with a Demand Side account
• Building material suppliers and manufacturers, registered with a Supply Side account
• Architects entering the MARCH Awards competition
• Visitors browsing the Platform without a registered account

The Platform's two account categories — Demand Side and Supply Side — are described in full in our Terms of Use, Section 2.1. By creating a Supply Side account, you confirm that you are acting in a professional or business capacity. By creating any account, you confirm that you meet the minimum age requirement set out in Section 12 below.

4. What Personal Data We Collect

4.1 Account data

For Demand Side accounts, we collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Country (optional)
• Phone number (optional)
• Profile photo (optional)
• Company name, professional role, and project portfolio or company description, if you choose to provide them

For Supply Side accounts, we collect:

• Full name
• Business email address
• Company name and type
• Country and geographic location
• Phone number (optional)

4.2 Platform behaviour and usage data

Which of the following applies to you depends on how you use the Platform and which features are available to your account. Materials you specify or request information, quotes or samples of, and Suppliers you contact, will only generate data if you have access to upload and transaction-related features, as described in our Terms of Use, Section 2.1.3.

• Materials and products you view, click on, save, or bookmark
• Images and product sheets you download or save to boards/collections
• Search queries and filters you apply
• Time spent on pages and sections of the Platform
• Features and tools you use
• Projects you create or interact with
• Materials you search, specify or request information, data or samples of
• Suppliers and products you engage with or contact

4.3 Interest and preference data

Based on your behaviour on the Platform, we derive interest profiles including:

• Material categories you show interest in (e.g. timber, insulation, façade, flooring)
• Sustainability preferences and certification filters you apply
• Project types and scales inferred from your activity
• Supplier categories and geographic preferences

4.4 Technical and device data

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Device type
• Referring URLs and navigation paths
• Session timestamps
• Cookie identifiers

4.5 Communications data

• Messages sent via the Platform between architects, other demand-side users, and suppliers
• Support enquiries submitted to our team
• Responses to surveys or feedback forms
• Email correspondence with March Materials

4.6 Images and project content you upload

When you upload images, renders, drawings, or other project content to the Platform — whether to a project board, a Supplier enquiry, or a MARCH Awards submission — we collect and store that content, along with:

• Any metadata embedded in the file (such as creation date, device or camera information, or location data), unless you have removed it before upload
• Any personal data visible within the image itself, such as identifiable individuals; you are responsible for ensuring you have the right to share this, as set out in our Terms of Use

We use this content to operate the Platform (e.g. displaying it to other users, in the case of project boards or enquiries) and, where you have granted the licence described in our Terms of Use, Section 6, in our own marketing materials and on our social media channels, generally with attribution to you or your project.

4.7 MARCH Awards competition data

If you participate in the MARCH Awards, we additionally collect:

• Your competition submission (project images, descriptions, and material specifications)
• Your name, firm/company name, and country, for the purpose of displaying entries, shortlists, and results
• Judging notes and scores generated internally during evaluation

5. How and Why We Use Your Data

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so under Article 6 of the GDPR. The lawful bases we rely on are:

• Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): to provide the Platform and its services, including the MARCH Awards
• Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): to improve the Platform, personalise your experience, ensure security, promote MARCH Materials and the Platform (including via marketing use of licensed Content), and develop our business
• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): for non-essential cookies, marketing communications, interest-based personalisation, and the licence you grant us over uploaded Content under our Terms of Use
• Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): to comply with applicable law

5.1 Providing and managing the Platform

• Creating and managing your account
• Enabling you to discover, save, and specify building materials
• Facilitating connections between architects and suppliers
• Processing transactions and managing commissions
• Sending service-related communications and notifications

5.2 Personalisation and recommendations

• Recommending relevant materials and suppliers based on your interests and activity
• Surfacing content relevant to your project types and geographic market
• Adapting the Platform interface to your professional context
• Highlighting sustainable materials aligned with your stated preferences

5.3 Analytics and Platform improvement

• Analysing how users engage with the Platform to improve features
• Understanding which materials, categories, and suppliers generate the most interest
• Identifying technical issues and optimising performance
• Conducting internal research and market analysis, using aggregated, anonymised data

5.4 Running and promoting the MARCH Awards

Where you participate in the MARCH Awards, we use your data to administer the competition (registering entries, coordinating judging, communicating results) and to promote it — including publishing your name, firm, and submission on results or shortlist pages, and featuring winning or notable projects in our marketing and on our social media, on the basis of the licence described in our Terms of Use, Section 6.

5.5 Supplier insights

Where you are a material supplier on the Platform, depending on your written agreement with March Materials, we may provide you with aggregated and anonymised analytics about how professionals interact with your product listings, including view counts, save rates, and interest categories. This does not involve sharing individually identifiable user data with suppliers without consent.

5.6 Communications and marketing

• Sending product updates, newsletters, and promotional communications, with your consent
• Notifying you of new suppliers, materials, features, or MARCH Awards editions relevant to your interests
• Responding to enquiries and support requests

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies (collectively, “cookies”) to operate and improve the Platform. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device when you visit a website; some are session cookies that disappear when you close your browser, and others are persistent cookies that remain for a set period.

We use four categories of cookies on the Platform:

Strictly necessary

Required for the Platform to function and cannot be disabled. These include session management, login authentication, security cookies, and remembering your saved preferences and consent choice.

Analytics

Help us understand how users interact with the Platform — which pages are visited, where clicks occur, and how long sessions last — so we can improve it.

Behaviour tracking

Record the materials and projects you view, save, and engage with, to power recommendations and to generate aggregated, anonymised engagement data for Suppliers.

Interest profiling

Build an inferred interest profile — for example, the material categories, sustainability preferences, and project types you show interest in — to personalise your experience.

We do not currently use cookies for third-party advertising or for tracking you across other websites for marketing purposes. If this changes, we will update this policy and ask for your consent before doing so.

 

 

Category

Purpose

Default

Can be disabled?

Typical duration

Strictly necessary

Login/session management, authentication, security, remembering your preferences and consent choice

Always on

No

Session, or up to 12 months for login persistence

Analytics

Page visits, clicks, and session duration, used to improve the Platform

On [CONFIRM]

Yes, via cookie settings

Up to 24 months

Behaviour tracking

Materials you view, save, and engage with, used for recommendations and aggregated Supplier analytics

On [CONFIRM]

Yes, via cookie settings

Up to 24 months

Interest profiling

Inferred interests (e.g. timber, façade, sustainability) used to personalise your experience

Off

Yes, via cookie settings

Up to 24 months

 

 

Where we use third-party tools — such as a hosting provider, analytics tool, or customer support widget — to set any of the above cookies, those providers act as our data processors and are bound by data processing agreements, as described in Section 7.4 below.

When you first visit the Platform, you will be shown a cookie preferences banner with a toggle for each category. You can choose “Accept all,” “Reject all” (non-essential cookies only; strictly necessary cookies always remain on), or set your preference for each category individually and click “Save.” You can change your choices at any time via the cookie settings in your account or in the Platform's footer, or through your browser settings. If you decline Analytics, Behaviour tracking, or Interest profiling cookies, you can still use the Platform, but your experience may be less personalised, and we will not be able to generate Supplier analytics based on your activity. Where we rely on your consent for a cookie category, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

7. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We share your data only in the following circumstances:

7.1 Within the Platform

Certain professional profile information (name, role, company, country) is visible to other registered users and suppliers on the Platform as part of the normal operation of the platform. You can control the visibility of some profile fields in your account settings.

7.2 Suppliers

Where you initiate contact with a supplier or request information AND consent, we share your name and professional contact details with that supplier for the purpose of fulfilling your request. Suppliers may also receive aggregated, anonymised data about engagement with their product listings.

7.3 MARCH Awards

If you enter the MARCH Awards, your name, firm/company name, country, and submission may be made visible to the judging panel, to other participants (e.g. on a shortlist), and publicly (e.g. on a results page or in promotional materials), as described in Section 5.4.

7.4 Service providers

We work with carefully selected third-party service providers who process data on our behalf, including:

• Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers
• Analytics and behaviour tracking tools
• Customer relationship management (CRM) systems
• Email delivery platforms
• Payment processing partners

 

All service providers are bound by data processing agreements and are required to process data only on our instructions and in compliance with GDPR.

7.5 Legal requirements

We may disclose your data to law enforcement, regulators, or courts where required by applicable law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of March Materials or others.

7.6 Business transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will require any acquiring party to honour the commitments made in this Privacy Policy.

8. International Data Transfers

March Materials UG is based in Germany and primarily processes data within the European Economic Area (EEA). Some of our service providers may be located outside the EEA, including in the United States.

Where we transfer data outside the EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
• Adequacy decisions where applicable
• Other lawful transfer mechanisms as required by GDPR Chapter V

You may request information about the specific safeguards we use for international transfers by contacting us at [email protected].

9. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, and in accordance with applicable legal obligations.

 

 

Data category

Retention period

Why

Account data

Duration of account + 12 months after closure

Operating your account; resolving post-closure queries

Behavioural / usage data

Up to 24 months, then anonymised or deleted

Personalisation, analytics, recommendations

Uploaded images & project Content not yet used in marketing

Duration of account + 30-day closure suspension, then deleted (see Terms of Use, Section 2.3)

Platform display and operation

Content already incorporated into published marketing materials

Survives account closure in already-published materials (e.g. a live social post or printed brochure); not used in new materials after closure (see Terms of Use, Section 6.3)

Marketing use you licensed to us under Terms of Use, Section 6

MARCH Awards submissions

Retained for that and future editions for archive/promotional purposes, unless you request removal

Competition administration and promotion

Communications & support records

3 years from last contact

Handling follow-ups and disputes

Transaction & billing records

10 years

German commercial law (HGB) and tax law (AO)

Anonymised analytics

Indefinite

Cannot be linked back to you

 

 

10. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject under the GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right of access (Art. 15): to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification (Art. 16): to have inaccurate data corrected
• Right to erasure (Art. 17): to request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal obligations and, where applicable, the survival of marketing materials already published under a licence you granted us
• Right to restriction (Art. 18): to request that we limit processing of your data in certain circumstances
• Right to data portability (Art. 20): to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object (Art. 21): to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority. In Germany, this is the Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit (BfDI), or your relevant State (Land) data protection authority depending on where you are based.

11. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
• Access controls and role-based permissions
• Regular security assessments and audits
• Staff training on data protection

While we take security seriously, no online platform can guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure and notifying us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access.

12. Children and Minors

The Platform is intended for users aged 18 and over, across both the Demand Side and the Supply Side. We do not knowingly register accounts for, or collect personal data from, anyone under the age of 18, and we do not offer a parental consent mechanism for users below that age. If we become aware that we have collected data from a user under 18, we will delete that data and close the account promptly.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify registered users of material changes by email or via a prominent notice on the Platform. The date of the most recent update is indicated at the top of this document.

14. Contact Us

For any questions, requests, or concerns relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal data:

March Materials UG

Email: [email protected]

Website: app.marchmaterials.com

We aim to respond to all enquiries within 30 days.