Last month marked my 10th anniversary with the International Sleep Products Association. It seems hard to believe. So much has changed since 2014. When I came aboard, boxed beds were the exception, not the rule. Adjustable bases were just gaining recognition as pleasant and useful additions to bedrooms. Cooling mattress foams and covers were not as ubiquitous as they are now. The idea of a smartbed seemed futuristic and exciting.
Something else happened in 2014 — the creation of the Mattress Recycling Council. Next year we’ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bye-Bye Mattress programs in California, Connecticut and Rhode Island. But, at the time, these mattress recycling programs were in their infancy.
Fast forward 10 years and we know so much more about the need for sustainability along every aspect of the supply chain. Three years ago, ISPA launched its first Sustainability Conference, hopeful that it would spark conversations and problem-solving. Has it ever.
At ISPA EXPO in March, I talked with Jim Turner, president of SABA North America, about the supplier’s latest hot melt. He said the idea had come straight from the 2023 sustainability conference. From the first session that year, he learned that recyclers’ biggest challenge comes from pocketed coils. SABA developed a polypropylene hot melt that, when used on polypropylene fabric, becomes recyclable without any additional steps. But he wanted to take it a step further. He wanted to make the adhesive from recycled polypropylene scrap.
As luck would have it, SABA’s tabletop exhibit at that year’s sustainability conference was next to Eric Buck’s Pocket Coil Recycling display. They started talking. Turner said, “Here’s my idea — we want to make a polypropylene glue. Do you sell recycled content?” Buck replied, “Are you kidding me? How many truckloads do you need and when do you need them?”
“I am so glad we went,” Turner said. “There were so many ideas. And it brought people together. I would never have met Eric. I wouldn’t have seen the opportunity or the problem so clearly.”
This is just one example of the inspiration and relationships that can occur when our industry works together. Read about this year’s conference here.
If you attended the conference, I’d like to know if it sparked any ideas or collaborations. Email me at [email protected]. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years have in store.
