Mattress recycling is our primary concern and ensuring that it’s done in an appropriate manner is quintessential to us. In our previous edition, we did a comprehensive case study on circular journey of mattresses in Australia. Understanding the verified models of mattress circular journey helps us replicate the most viable models for mattress recycling in India as well. In this issue, we aim to derive vivid understanding about the model of mattress recycling in European Union nations. With a special focus on the best practices in mattress recycling, we are examining the models and practices in Germany and Netherlands.  

If we go by some statistics released by europur.org, over 30 million mattresses are discarded in the European Union, every year. If they were all stacked up, the pile would be 678 times the height of Mount Everest. In the Netherlands alone, 1.5 million mattresses are discarded on annual basis. That’s a potential waste pile of 100 times the height of the Eiffel Tower.  

Germany and the Netherlands have stringent recycling regulations that cover a wide range of materials, including mattresses. AUPW (Accentuate the Positive Ways) Recycling project supports introducing these practices in participating countries.  

Overview on mattress disposal in EU 

It was observed that EU generates substantial number of wastes from manufacturing, food, construction, electronics, textiles and mattresses. Incinerating these wastes contributed towards massive air, water and land pollution. Hence, the EU developed a waste policy that reuses products as long as possible and sets strict standards for responsible disposal when they can no longer be used. The European Union has set stringent policies and initiatives that focus on preventing waste generation in the first place. 

When it comes to mattress recycling, the model followed by the European nations, especially Germany and Netherlands could be a good resource center for deriving good understanding about implementing an efficient model for circular journey of mattresses. According to a report on Renewable Carbon News, In Europe, an estimated 40 million mattresses are disposed every year. Compared to incineration, the recycling of discarded mattresses can help to recover materials for reuse and thus keep them in the loop. To counter the amount of waste and significantly reduce landfill and incineration streams, the European Union is aiming to recycle 65 percent of municipal waste by 2030. 

Implementation of the program  

The comprehensive execution of a sustainable solution for mattress recycling entails proactive participation from the mattress recyclers, manufacturers and the government. The EU model executes both mechanical and chemical recycling processes to ensure zero waste generation in mattress recycling. Meanwhile, they are also manufacturing mattresses

The EU developed a waste policy that reuses products and sets strict standards for responsible disposal of mattresses.

with different foams that contributes zero waste during the mattress recycling process. Dutch mattress recyclers Renawi and RetourMatras have made substantial investment on their mattress manufacturing facilities to ensure every element of the discarded mattress is recovered and is made ready to go in as a raw material for the production of new mattresses. The European nations focussed on a model that entailed 

  • Comprehensive policies enforce extended producer responsibility (EPR), making manufacturers accountable for the end-of-life management of their products. 
  • State-of-the-art recycling facilities for efficiently dismantling and processing the materials.
  • Public awareness campaigns to encourage recycling participation from all stakeholders involved in mattress recycling process. 

Measurable results 

The 2020 EU circular economy action plan aims to reduce the total amount of municipal waste not recycled by 2030 in the EU. Some of the measurable benefits realized through its action plan witnessed: 

  • High recycling rates with a vast majority of mattresses diverted from landfills. According to European Environment Agency, each European produces about 4.8 tonnes of waste annually, of which, about 39 percent of it is recycled. 
  • Significant savings in raw material extraction and processing.
  • Creation of an eco-friendlier industry with shared responsibility from manufacturers to consumers. 

Ensuring circular journey of mattresses in India- key learnings from EU model  

In India, mattress recycling is still at a nascent stage. To ensure circular journey of mattresses, active participation is required from various sectors, namely, manufacturers, recyclers, NGOs, consumers and government. “Implementing mattress recycling in India presents several hurdles that need to be carefully addressed to ensure the program’s success. Some of the key challenges include low public awareness and participation, unequipped infrastructure, inefficient logistics, absence of a sustainable business model, insufficient regulatory frameworks and most importantly, finding a market for recycled materials,” explains Mr. Isaac Emmanuel, Member of the Technical and Sustainability Committee in Indian Polyurethane Association (IPUA). Mr. Emmanuel, who has enthusiastically worked towards spreading awareness about the best possible ways to adopt sustainability in the industry explains, by examining this successful model deployed in European nations, India can extract several key learnings:  

  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) : Implementing EPR policies can ensure that manufacturers are responsible for the lifecycle management of their mattresses. 
  • Public awareness and participation : Creating strong public awareness campaigns can significantly enhance participation in recycling programs. 
  • Infrastructure investment : Developing a robust infrastructure for collection, transportation, and recycling is critical. 
  • Economic incentives : Providing economic incentives to both consumers and recyclers can drive the success of the recycling program. 

By adopting and adapting strategies from these case studies, India could lay a strong foundation for effective mattress recycling, addressing both environmental and economic issues simultaneously. Secondly, investing in research in developing the chemical recycling process (where applicable) with the help of research institutions/universities. Generating the markets for recycled materials should go hand in hand.  Crafting a well-thought out and sustainable collaboration between academy-industry-government should be top priority in the coming 5 years.  The Budget 2024-25 has announced initiatives to address environmental concerns and promote sustainable development.  Industry should seize this opportunity and access funds/budgets set apart for bringing in the seed funds for pilot projects and scale up, suggests Mr. Emmanuel. 

ISPF initiative on Mattress Circular Journey

Looking at the adverse situation of the landfill and mattress dynamic, ISPF in association with IPUA decided to take up a proactive approach to the problem. Thus, was born the Mattress Circular Journey initiative, aimed at establishing sustainable mechanisms to deal with end-of-cycle mattresses. Through this, ISPF intends to promote the Indian Mattress Industry as a green industry.

Under the initiative, ISPF & IPUA has launched the #phenkonahirecyclekaro campaign across 3 cities now. They partner with local recycling agencies and retail stores to collect mattresses from homes and send them off to recycling units. This way the mattress skips the landfill altogether and becomes part of a circular economy.

The pilot project launched in July 2021 at Bhopal, in partnership with The Kabadiwala. The old mattress is collected from the consumer’s doorstep as part of an on-request service. The customers are provided with a discount redemption coupon as a token of appreciation. They can redeem the coupon against any product from Mattress Circular Journey retail partners.

Hyderabad : The campaign was launched in September 2021 in partnership with Recykal, an innovative company using technology-based solutions for waste management. Anyone can request a mattress pick up through the Recykal app and in exchange, will receive a discount coupon redeemable at a nearby Mattress Circular Journey retail partner store.

Ernakulam : With the Ernakulam launch, ISPF aims to take things a notch up. They have an agency of 7000+ people to undertake the mission. The campaign is also being pushed as a buyback drive. Customers are being given Rs. 600 for a single bed.