Leading mattress manufacturer Auping, headquartered in Deventer, The Netherlands, has collaborated with fibres leader Indorama Ventures (IVL) and nonwovens manufacturer TWE Group to deliver a fully circular and Cradle-to-Cradle certified process for mattress design, manufacturing and recycling.

The mattress is constructed using only two different base materials – 100% PET polyester textiles and steel wire pocket springs connected with Niaga a non toxic reversible adhesive – making it easy to disassemble and recover. It was demonstrated during Techtextil 2022 in Frankfurt from June 21-24.

The inclusion of safe raw materials within mattress manufacturing allows the materials to be easily disassembled at the product’s end of use, allowing the components to be further reused in new mattresses or be recycled into new raw materials at the same quality level.

Auping collects, sorts and separates the components and the fabrics then go to IVL Mullagh in Ireland for processing, melting and extrusion to form polyester staple fibre. The recycled staple fibres are then converted by TWE Group into nonwovens for use in Auping’s Evolve mattress – the world’s first fully circular mattress. Following the end of mattress use, the material recovery process simply starts again.

Auping estimates that annually more than 40 million mattresses are disposed of in Europe alone, the majority of which are incinerated. The company’s take back system in the Netherlands ensures that when a new mattress is delivered, the old mattress is retrieved and recycled, irrespective of the brand, ensuring existing materials are continually optimised, diverted from landfill and kept in use.

“The transformation from linear to circular production requires patience and dedication, but also a strong drive to make a difference,” said Geert Doorlag, researcher on sustainability, sleep and ergonomics at Auping. “Partnerships are very important to us. We strongly believe in the importance of sharing knowledge and trying to translate insights into relevant solutions, in cooperation with other parties.”

www.indoramaventures.com