No matter how many times you hear it or read it, sustainability continues to be a defining concern for the UK bed industry – but the NBF is here to help, says its sustainability and circular economy lead, Tom Williams …
Regardless of the economic conditions, pressure from consumers, regulators, retailers and supply chain partners to demonstrate sustainability in real terms continues to dictate a need for businesses to address sustainability in their operations.
This summer’s tragic wildfires across the globe are a stark reminder that there is no ‘Planet B’, and the demand for more sustainable business practices and products will only grow.
But with these demands changing at speed, it can be hard to know where to start or where to turn. The good news is, through a combination of practical tools, ethical guides, research partnerships, guidance on responsible claims, and industry-wide initiatives, we are proud to say the NBF is leading the way in its sustainability support for the bed industry and beyond.
Last month, we relaunched the NBF Pledge for Our Planet alongside a new standalone ecodesign assessment toolkit. The pledge was created to encourage our members to commit to a journey of continuous environmental improvement at both a company and product level.
While this ethos remains, we have removed the time restrictions, which allows members to fit their sustainability strategy within their wider business strategy by embedding sustainability more deeply throughout their business.
Ecodesign – designing products with environmental impacts in mind from the outset – is here to stay. That is why the exclusive toolkit now exists as its own entity, helping NBF members benchmark and improve the ecodesign scoring of their products.
For the wider trade, our free NBF Ecodesign Principles for Mattresses guide is available to download from our website. It outlines how manufacturers can reduce environmental impacts, improve recycling potential, and extend product lifecycles.
We also launched the NBF’s first Sustainability Guide this year, to assist members in understanding some of the most important sustainability issues and how they apply to the bed industry.
Other valuable resources include the Mattress Restricted Substances List, created in conjunction with SATRA, the NBF Green Claims Guide and the NBF Greenwashing Guide, all freely available to our members.
Our work with DigiProdPass on how digital product passports (DPPs) would fit into the industry is another way to improve industry sustainability and the circularity of mattresses.
Research and innovation are also vital to making progress. Through our Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Manchester Metropolitan University, we have developed a new, quick, reliable, laboratory-free method to assess the cleanliness of post-consumer mattress materials. This will enable more recycled fillings re-enter the supply chain safely, giving consumers confidence in reused materials.
This kind of innovation can help the entire bed sector – and potentially others – reduce waste, and overcome major barriers to circular manufacturing.
At a time when sustainability looks like it might have taken a back seat, it is easy to shift focus to other things – especially when external factors are causing problems you did not envisage. By using our valuable resources and research, the bed industry can keep its focus on sustainability, and avoid falling foul of upcoming legislation, and recognise the potential sustainability has beyond environmental protection.
This column featured in this year's Bed Buyer supplement.
