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PRODUCTS INNOVATION IN BEDDING
CIRCLE OF LIFE Across Europe, some 30 million mattresses are thrown away every year – making their disposal/reuse a critical challenge for manufacturers and the environment. Material science pioneer Dow Polyurethanes developed RENUVA, a circular economy programme, to recycle end-of-life polyurethane products across various sectors in partnership with key stakeholders in the supply chain – and its work in the bedding industry thus far gives much reason for optimism, explains Dow’s EMEAI sustainability leader Lucie Porcelli, and global market segment leader, ComfortScience, Ricco Borella … www.dow.com/renuva
Can you summarise the RENUVA programme for bedding – its aims and key stakeholders? Lucie: RENUVA is a circular economy programme which aims to recycle polyurethane foams from old mattresses back to raw materials to create new foam – for use, initially, in new mattresses! We’re pioneering this in France and collaborating with key partners from across the product life cycle – Ecomobilier (waste recovery experts), Orrion Chemicals Orgaform (chemical recycling operator), and Vita (foam manufacturer). How much impact do old mattresses have on the environment, and what are your personal feelings around what the programme can achieve? Lucie: For me, the environmental impact can be summed up in one striking figure – approximately 30 million old mattresses are thrown away in Europe annually. That’s a staggering figure. The fate of an old mattress is to be either incinerated (emitting CO2) or dumped. We all want to see reductions here. I’m passionate about solving sustainability
challenges like this, and for me RENUVA offers a truly pioneering approach. Ricco: Absolutely. When designing the RENUVA Mattress Recycling Program, we wanted to find a solution to stop materials from going to waste so that we can keep using them long after they’ve outlived their useful life. We wanted to show that comfort can work hand in hand with circularity, and that there is no need to compromise on either. How does demand for eco-conscious bedding credentials manifest in the various marketplaces you cover? Lucie: All of us are aware of the impact we are having on the environment. Consumers are (rightly) demanding more sustainable products and less waste. Let me offer the example of France, where our project is located. Demand for a more sustainable approach led to the establishment of a dedicated EPR scheme represented by the Ecomobilier organisation – thanks to the participation of the bedding and wider furniture industry.
