Sustainable mattresses for sweeter dreams

Every year 40 million mattresses are discarded in Europe alone, which is equivalent to around 600 kilotons of waste. However, only a small number of these will be recycled.

More than half of the generated waste is polyurethane (PU) foam, so as a polyurethane additives manufacturer, Evonik has utilized its expertise in polyurethane chemistry to develop a process to recycle the main components used in flexible PU foams. Evonik’s process also enables the recovery of polyol raw material from PU mattresses comparable in quality to the virgin polyol.

Evonik’s solution will make a significant contribution to the global flexible PU industry’s sustainability expectations and supports the entire Evonik Group’s objectives of establishing a fully functioning circular economy.