The National Bed Federation, a trade group representing the U.K. mattress industry, has published a guide to eco-design and sustainability. The Skipton, England-based organization also has spun off The Sleep Council, its consumer education arm. The latter merged with an independent nonprofit, The Sleep Charity. NBF will continue to financially support the new entity.
“The Sleep Council has been a valuable asset for the NBF and a great vehicle for talking about sleep and beds, but it felt that now was the right time to let it go and develop into something bigger,” said Jessica Alexander, NBF executive director.
NBF’s “Ecodesign Framework and Principles for the UK Bed Sector” was prepared by environmental consultants and overseen by the NBF’s Circular Economy Committee. The guide presents 10 key ecodesign principles, organized in three categories — people and relationships, products and services, and processes.
“What we have tried to do with our guide is to distill (a large body of work on ecodesign) into a framework that is directly and practically applicable to the bed sector,” Alexander said. “We are proud to be making this guide freely available for the U.K. bed industry as we know that eco-design is a key element of government thinking as part of a global move towards greener economies.
“The good news is that many of our mattress manufacturers have already embarked on this greener approach to their businesses, both in terms of their operations and their products. They have already taken steps to reduce or mitigate their environmental impacts, including reducing energy and water consumption and their carbon footprint.”
