A new mattress recycling facility has opened in France supported by Ikea retail investment arm, Ingka Investments.
RetourMatras opened its seventh European mattress recycling facility in La Cavalerie, last month, and it is able to process up to 750,000 mattresses annually, helping recycling infrastructure spring into life. RetourMatras’s technology converts discarded mattresses into valuable raw materials.
Ingka Investments, alongside Ikano Industry and Renewi, has backed RetourMatras since 2019. The funding has supported the business’s growth and expansion into Europe. But the mattress recycling site in southern France, just north-west of Montpellier, is a landmark moment in the organisation’s journey.
Ingka Investments’s participation in supporting RetourMatras is part of its €1 billion war chest for investing in companies that are growing recycling infrastructure and supporting a more circular economy.
Ecomaison, a collector, sorter and recycler of household items, says that approximately four million discarded mattresses are collected in France each year. The La Cavalerie site will aid this process, and the facility can recover up to 80% of mattress materials, such as foam, textiles, wood, and metal, preparing them for reuse in new products.
Karen Pflug, chief sustainability officer at Ingka Group, commented: “Recycling remains an essential enabler for keeping materials in use and reducing reliance on virgin ones.
“Yet today’s recycling system is under increasing pressure – from volatile markets to rising operational costs and inadequate infrastructure. At Ingka, we recognise that with our scale comes both a responsibility and a unique opportunity to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy through investment and innovation.”
The recovered polyurethane foam is chemically transformed into repoliol, a component used to produce new polyurethane foam, replacing fossil-based materials.
Ikea said it plans to incorporate this recycled material into the production of its HÖJEHALL mattress ranges, and they will be available in France by July. These products will also contain recycled metal and textiles.
Peter van der Poel, managing director at Ingka Investments, remarked: “Transitioning to a circular economy is essential for us to stay within the limits of one planet.
“Through our investment in RetourMatras we are on a journey to recycle the equivalent number of mattresses we sell by 2030, and this new facility brings us a step closer. But we don’t stop there; RetourMatras is transforming end-of-life mattresses into valuable resources allowing the materials to be repurposed and used in 31 product families, including sofas and mattresses.”
RetourMatras operates dismantling facilities across the Netherlands, where it is headquartered, as well as the UK and now France. Mark Lewis, CEO of the company, stated: “We remain committed to supporting additional locations and countries as we continue to contribute to a more sustainable future across Europe.”
Van der Poel added: “What would help us go further is if legislation was stronger at prioritising recycling over incineration and landfilling, for example, by ensuring that Extended Producer Responsibility schemes were resulting in higher recycling rates.
“We also welcome eco-design regulations to encourage the demand for these recycled materials, and we are actively collaborating with relevant authorities and other stakeholders to address these issues.”
Read more about Ikea and mattress recycling in the UK on Green Retail World
[image credit: Ingka Investments]
