IKEA is launching an initiative to make new mattresses from collected waste mattresses, extending the life of already manufactured products by increasing the use of post-consumer recycled polyols in the foam. With this initiative, IKEA aims to reduce foam that ends up in landfills, reduce pollution, and advance the industry agenda to develop foam solutions centered on recycled materials. The 2025 target is to have at least 20% recycled and/or renewable content in the polyols used in the foam production of IKEA mattresses.



At IKEA, the company continues its efforts to make products more sustainable and affordable. IKEA is phasing out less sustainable products and materials and introducing new options. Foams (polyurethane foams) are traditionally made from virgin fossil materials. Polyols are one of the main components of foam and can be partially replaced by natural oil polyols from renewable sources, such as soybean, castor oil, rapeseed, etc. Today, there are several products in the IKEA range that contain renewable polyols in the foam.

IKEA is transforming into a circular business, aiming to use only recyclable or renewable materials by 2030. Therefore, finding alternatives to materials made from virgin fossil fuels is a key step that needs to be taken, including foams.

Caroline McGarvey, Materials and Innovation Manager for Textiles and Comfort Materials at IKEA Sweden, said: "IKEA has been developing and using renewable ingredients in our foams since 2015. We are challenging the industry and working closely with our partners Working together to find solutions that increase the share of renewable content in our foam products. In addition, we are now working with partners to pioneer post-consumer recycled foam and circular business models, with the goal of using only renewable or Recycled materials. The 2025 goal is to use at least 20% recycled or renewable polyols in our foam mattresses.”

Currently, IKEA has produced mattresses in collaboration with partners whose foam contains pre-consumer recycled polyols mixed with virgin fossil materials. This is achieved by chemically recycling foam waste from production into polyols to produce new foams. The next step is to explore whether the same recycling process and content combination can be used for post-consumer foam while meeting the same product requirements as virgin fossil-based foam.

This opens up the possibility of circular business models, for example, where IKEA takes back old mattresses and furniture and separates out the foam in a dismantling unit. These foams are used to make recycled polyols that are used in the production of new foams and mattresses. At IKEA, we are piloting this process, which may be part of the foam recycling business model, we have the ability to obtain waste mattress foam from our dismantler partners, and our mattress manufacturer is setting up a repolyol unit nearby.

One of the biggest hurdles the mattress recycling industry needs to overcome is tracking the legacy chemicals in old mattresses used in the recycling process. That's why one of the main goals of our initiative is to find solutions to scan chemical components to identify and separate traces of chemicals in post-consumer foams that are unsuitable for production and not needed.

We still have some challenges to overcome, and we are humbled by the fact that it takes time for an industry to evolve. What we can already do to reduce our reliance on virgin fossil materials is to design our products to use less foam.

“For decades, post-consumer mattresses have been viewed as low-value waste, and most used mattresses end up in landfills. We hope to change the way people think about foam and address the problem of old mattresses polluting the environment. By partnering with us With the cooperation of our suppliers and partners, we have managed to find a good and more sustainable solution. We are still in the development stage, but it will not be long before the first mattresses with post-consumer recycled foam filling will be in IKEA store meets customers. We still have some way to go to make foam 100% renewable or recycled, but we have already started our journey. We are determined to achieve this goal because we believe that good comfort should be possible Affordable and sustainable," Caroline McGarvey said.