Thursday, 12th March marked an important day for this month’s cover star Simba, whose commitment to circularity has earned it a prestigious edie Award for Circular Economy Innovation of the Year.
Known for its multi-award-winning sleep range, Simba has also cemented its position as a key player in sustainability with a longstanding commitment to reducing its environmental footprint.
Following a commendation from the British Retail Consortium’s Climate Action Showcase in 2023 and a Silver award for Circular Economy at the Global Good Awards last year, the 2025 edie Award recognises Simba’s sustainability leadership status across the industry.
Celebrating sustainability in business, the edie Awards are a benchmark for recognising climate initiatives. Despite tough competition, Simba’s end-of-life approach to mattress design, its Mattress Refurbishment Programme and Mattress Recycling Service, demonstrate the brand’s utmost commitment to building a circular economy.
Simba’s director of sustainability, Emma Reid, says: “We’re absolutely delighted with this win, it’s a testament to the dedication of our team and our commitment to the circular economy. Seeing our initiatives recognised at such a high level reinforces the impact we’re making in reducing waste and creating more responsible sleep solutions. And this is just the beginning – as a proud B Corp, we’re committed to pushing the boundaries of sustainability even further.”
Closing the loop
In response to the NBF’s report that 76% of the UK’s discarded mattresses go to landfill every year, Simba created a three-pronged strategy to improve circularity: to design for end-of-life recyclability; to include more recycled materials in products; and to facilitate mattress recycling via a certified refurbishment programme and specialist recycling service.
Combined, these saved 4,929,822kg of CO2 from reaching the atmosphere in 2023, from 23,342 refurbished and recycled mattresses, with the help of Simba’s trusted partner, The Furniture Recycling Group.
After discovering that most mattresses returned to it were too good to recycle, Simba also created its Refurbished range. This consists of assessing, part replacing, sanitising and Simba-certifying mattresses, before offering them back to customers at a smaller price. In fact, Simba resells roughly three quarters of all the mattresses returned to it, preventing mattresses from going to landfill and making premium sleep technology available at a more accessible price.
Additionally, Simba’s mattress collection service now aligns with mattress delivery to maximise transport efficiency – and, since this initiative is as much about helping consumers make better choices as it is about recycling, only a small fee applies for mattresses of any make and size. Thanks to these programmes, a stream of non-new materials aids more responsible production, with specialist ranges like Simba’s Earth mattresses utilising more responsibly sourced materials and designing with end-of-life in mind.
Taking this transparent, thoughtful and consistent approach to circularity has earned Simba an admirable reputation in the business landscape – and the brand says it has many more plans in the works to secure a brighter future for sleep.
