It’s time to go to the mattresses

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/04/2022 (1241 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This article was curated by editors from the Free Press advertising department.

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Environmentalists have achieved a great deal. For many, however, the environmental cause is still seen as a battle. And as we’ve learned from epic movies such as The Godfather or You’ve Got Mail, when you engage in battle, you have to “go to the mattresses.”

With modern production, distribution and recycling programs, we can now literally go to the mattresses for the environment by simply choosing the right ones.

Larger ticket items such as these have always required deeper inspection prior to purchase. And sustainability can now be part of that decision-making process.

Newer companies, such as Canadian-owned Polysleep Canada, are responding to the call for sustainable beds. Their products are made with recyclable foam.

Sustainable delivery is key to their business model. The design has removed the need for wire and wood, allowing the mattresses to be compressed for shipping.

“Compressing them reduces transportation costs and our carbon footprint,” says Polysleep co-founder Jeremiah Curvers. 

Curvers continued to explain that six of their mattresses take up the room on one traditional model, thus further lessening their impact on the environment.

And in Montreal, they’ve partnered with Chasseurs Courrier, a bike-courier company. So, they literally deliver their beds by bike.

The design has removed the need for wire and wood, allowing the mattresses to be compressed for shipping. “Compressing them reduces transportation costs and our carbon footprint.” – Jeremiah Curvers, Polysleep co-founder

While high-end foam mattress companies see sustainability advantages due to their direct-to-consumer delivery model, they also embrace the promotion of the product’s full life cycle.

In years past, the only ways to manage the end-of-use sustainably of a mattress were through the hand-me-down process or via donation. While donation programs still exist in Manitoba, fewer organizations now accept them.

According to a 2015 report called Manitoba Government Invests in Recycling Project, more than 40,000 mattresses were sent to the landfill yearly. And “nearly 90 per cent of it is recyclable,” the report explained. Since the report’s release, a recycling partnership between the government and a local company called Mother Earth Recycling is seeing success.

Jessica Floresco, general manager of Mother Earth Recycling, explains that successful venture is achieved “through the operation of labour-intensive recycling programs.”

Its process involves separating the fabric, foam, metal and wood in mattresses and recycling them through different processors.

In 2012, the company started as an e-waste recycling depot. Electronic waste recovery is a service they continue to provide. But in 2016, “MER expanded into mattress recycling,” Floresco notes. This year, they’re expanding again. They will now offer a child car seat recycling program.

Sustainable products and services are making a great deal of headway for the environment. If we continue to embrace them, the next time we go to a mattress, it’ll just be for a good night’s sleep!