// Bensons for Beds recycles nearly 40,000 beds in the last 10 months
// It has saved the equivalent of 1800 tonnes of mattresses from going to landfills
// Bensons for Beds now set to extend its range of environmentally-friendly products in the coming months and years
Bensons for Beds is set to extend its range of environmentally-friendly products after the success of a mattress recycling scheme in less than a year.
Since it launched the scheme in August last year, the bedding retailer said it has recycled nearly 40,000 beds and saved the equivalent of 1800 tonnes of mattresses from going into landfills.
The recycling scheme provides customers the opportunity to recycle their old mattresses and beds when they have their new item delivered.
Bensons for Beds has also recorded a “monumental” sale uptick of 96 per cent for its Silentnight Choices range, which features recycled plastic bottles.
READ MORE:
The retailer added that since the Silentnight Choices range launched in 2018, it has saved over 48.7 million plastic bottles from entering the oceans and landfills – the equivalent distance, with bottles placed end-to-end, of London to Thailand.
Building on its existing sustainability credentials, Bensons for Beds said it would now extend its range of environmentally-friendly products in the coming months and years.
“We not only look at the product components themselves in terms of sustainability, recycling etc, but also how they are produced – for example, by incorporating chemical treatment-free fabrics, which stop harmful chemicals going into our waterways,” Bensons for Beds head of buying Pam Johnson said.
“There are also innovative new filings which, in their production, reduce CO2 emissions, water and land use.
“We’re excited to be incorporating these into our new ranges in autumn this year.”
The UK sees around 7.5 million mattresses thrown away each year, according to recent data from The Furniture Recycling (TFR) Group.
This equates to 247,500 tonnes, which in turn is the equivalent of around 40,500 double decker buses or nearly 14,000 swimming pools.
TFR also found that around 12,000 mattresses are illegally dumped each year, with mattresses accounting for 13 per cent of all fly-tipping.
Bensons for Beds said that not only were its bed bases recycled for fuel and bio-mass, the mattresses also underwent an extensive process at the recycling bank, where they are deconstructed and segregated into different materials to be reused in various industries.
“Overall, our sustainability practices are performing incredibly well so far, helping us contribute to reducing unnecessary waste in the UK”, Johnson said.
“Sales of our Silentnight Choices range also show how there’s no quality compromise when customers choose sustainable products – people can do their bit for the environment, whilst enjoying an incredibly comfortable night’s sleep.
“We are committed to making a real change, and will continue investigating new sustainable products and practices in the coming years, to help our business evolve and adapt to an increasingly environmentally-conscious nation.”
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
