BICO is a renowned manufacturer of high-quality mattresses and bed systems. The company belongs to the international Hilding Anders Group and places great emphasis on quality, comfort, and innovation. Hilding Anders Switzerland is committed to sustainability by using environmentally friendly production processes and recyclable materials. They are also part of the recently founded Mattress Alliance, which is committed to promoting the circular economy of mattresses.
As part of the Reffnet case, which we processed for BICO, to identify potential improvements in resource utilization within BICO in Schänis SG, all material flows were identified and a material flow analysis was created. In addition, the waste streams were evaluated in detail.
To reduce resource consumption for the production of mattresses, there are several approaches that go hand in hand:
- The use of secondary materials: Mattresses are designed in such a way that it is possible to use secondary materials.
- Design for Recycling: Mattresses are designed in such a way that they can be easily recycled at the end of their life.
- Use of renewable raw materials: No fossil fuels, but renewable raw materials are used to produce the mattress components.
- Reduction of waste production: For the waste generated during production, solutions should be found according to the principle of reduce, reuse, recycle.
Not all materials in mattresses can be recycled or made from secondary materials. After examining the suitability and current status, the use of recycled foam, in particular, showed very high savings potential. Bico is currently working intensively on integrating recycled foam into its mattresses, and the result from the Reffnet case has shown that they are on the right track in this regard. In addition, the production of covers from pure polyester also offers great potential. Above all, this is because these covers can be recycled better than covers made from a wide variety of textiles. In the case of waste, the recycling of textile waste either into acoustic panels or internally into stuffing material proved to be promising.
This case nicely demonstrated how environmental impacts can be reduced and the course can be set for the cycle of the product and its materials as early as the design stage of a product.
Photo Credits: Rocco Cristofaro, bico