What makes a mattress sustainable?
When purchasing sustainable products, you quickly think of using natural or recycled materials, but with a mattress there are more factors involved when you want to make a conscious choice. A mattress is only truly sustainable if it is produced responsibly, lasts a long time and can be recycled into a new mattress. How exactly does that work? You can read that below!
Why should a mattress be environmentally friendly?
The mattress industry is and remains extremely polluting; more than one and a half million mattresses are discarded every year in the Netherlands alone. It's a shame, because if the mattress becomes wet and dirty, the incinerator is the only option, resulting in large emissions.
A study by ABNAMRO (2019) showed that if all mattresses were recycled, it would save 185,000 tons of CO2 emissions over the next 10 years, which is the same as 1.2 million return flights between Amsterdam and Paris.
The portion of mattresses that are collected are mainly downcycled into inferior material. This is because too many mattresses being produced contain foam. This material should not get wet, is difficult to separate and cannot be recycled into a new block of foam for the mattress.
The properties of a sustainable mattress
- The filling of the mattress does not contain foam, but only high-quality materials that have a long lifespan, such as 100% polyester.
- Or the filling of the mattress contains only natural materials that last a long time, so that no harmful substances are released when burned, such as natural latex.
- The layers in the mattress can be replaced individually, for example if a specific layer wears out sooner. This means less material and energy is used in the longer term. Repairing is always better than recycling.
- The material used can be 100% recycled into a new mattress.
How you can contribute to a cleaner industry
You can of course also contribute to combating pollution in the mattress industry. First of all, by taking the above properties into account during your search.
At Ubed you always buy a mattress that meets these points, both the UBED C-100 and the UBED M-100 . Our mattresses are made of polyester with an open 3D structure, have a long lifespan, are interchangeable per part and can be 100% recycled into a new mattress. We believe that the responsibility for sustainable handling lies with the producer himself. That is why, after you have slept on the mattress for many years, we will come and collect your Ubed mattress. This way we ensure that it can be recycled into a new mattress.
A sustainable mattress does not have to be expensive
Sure, an environmentally friendly mattress will always cost a little more than a brand that sells mattresses with foam filling, for example, but this does not mean that the mattress has to be expensive. At Ubed you always get high quality for the best price. This is possible because we deliver the mattress directly to you from our own channels and do not use expensive showrooms or stores. Curious? Then take a quick look at our environmentally friendly mattresses.
