Now celebrating its fifth year, the International Sleep Products Association’s Sustainability Conference, September 23 to 24, continues to inspire the entire mattress value chain to discuss, collaborate, and learn how to make sustainability work well—and offer business value—within the industry.
BedTimes spoke to a few of this year’s presenters to do a deeper dive into their sessions, find out why they believe the Sustainability Conference is a must-attend event, and to share one easy thing they think manufacturers and suppliers can do—right now—to be more sustainable. For more exciting updates and descriptions of all the sessions, visit ispasustainability.com.
Session: Breaking the Bond: Advancing Adhesives for Circularity and Performance
Jim Turner, CEO, SABA North America
SABA Adhesives and Sealants is taking a proactive approach to sustainability by developing solutions that help customers meet evolving recycling, circularity, and product-design goals without compromising performance. In this session, Turner will share how SABA’s innovation strategy is focused on solving real industry challenges, particularly around end-of-life recovery, material compatibility, and manufacturing efficiency, through practical adhesive technologies that support more sustainable mattress design. Attendees will gain insight into how supplier-led innovation can help manufacturers reduce trade-offs, prepare for what’s ahead, and make meaningful sustainability progress.
Deeper dive: During this session, Turner says he’ll discuss SABA’s latest innovation: mono-material design, which matches the composition of an adhesive to the materials being bonded, potentially eliminating the need for disassembly or adhesive abstraction by recyclers. In this case, those adhesives are SABA’s polyurethane water-based adhesive for foam bonding and its polypropylene hot melt adhesive for pocket coil assembly.
Why is the ISPA Sustainability Conference a “must-attend” event? “It’s a great opportunity to gain real market intelligence to better understand unmet needs that could lead to your next big idea or innovation. I still have my conference notes from a few years ago when I jotted down an idea that came from one of the sessions—today it’s an actual commercial product.”
One thing to do right now to become more sustainable: “Ask your suppliers about new and innovative products they offer that contribute to sustainability. I think we can all admit that it’s easy, even in close supplier/manufacturer relationships, to get stuck in the rut of ‘If it’s working, don’t change.’ Also, assess total cost of ownership and not just price. You may be surprised that there are opportunities to implement sustainability into product design and potentially even reduce costs.”
Session: Circularity That Competes: Lessons From the Textile Industry
Nellie Cohen, founder, BALEEN
What can the mattress industry learn from the apparel resale boom? Like the textile industry, the mattress industry faces challenges with product returns, disposal at the end of use, and closing the “sustainability say-do gap.” Cohen’s session will explore how brands like Patagonia leveraged circularity initiatives to drive business and brand success—which positions them for sustainability success—and what those lessons mean for an industry built on quality, durability, and long product life. Attendees will gain insight into how circularity can help manufacturers strengthen brand value, respond to low-quality market competition, and build internal support by clearly connecting sustainability to business benefit. The session will offer practical takeaways for making circularity more relevant, credible, and actionable within the mattress industry.
Deeper dive: During this session, Cohen will bring some of her lived experiences from the apparel sector, specifically the apparel resale boom—now a nearly $400 billion powerhouse projected to grow twice as fast as the overall apparel industry and taking market share from traditional retail. “I’ll be sharing more about the ways Patagonia and its Worn Wear program—and others in the apparel and footwear sector—addressed the ‘ick’ factor of buying used, fear of cannibalization of mainline sales, regulatory requirements, consumer appeal, and supply chain logistics to build one of the most widely adopted sustainability initiatives of the last decade.”
Why is the ISPA Sustainability Conference a “must-attend” event? “It’s so critical to get out from behind our desks and re-inspired to do this work by learning, connecting with others, and hearing about real-life examples of sustainability work being implemented. Sustainability work can be lonely and hard, which makes an industry-specific event all the more valuable to attend. Taking home practical examples of sustainability success and broadening personal networks fortifies all of us for this important and tireless work!”
One thing to do right now to become more sustainable: “I would suggest taking a step back, opening the aperture a bit, and thinking through how circularity might be the solution for business problems. For example, consumer sentiment says people want more sustainable products, but consumer behavior actually shows an unwillingness to pay more for products with sustainability attributes. Resale programs allow for both—the product is already made, so in some ways it’s the most sustainable option—and it can be sold for less because it’s used.”
Session: Sustainability Policy: ISPA Engagement in 2026 and Beyond
Alison Keane, president, International Sleep Products Association
Keane will provide a comprehensive update on the legislative and regulatory issues affecting the mattress industry. From mattress and packaging extended producer responsibility legislation to broader sustainability-related policies, Keane will share insights into legislative trends and describe ISPA’s efforts to shape a regulatory environment that supports innovation, sustainability, and long-term growth.
Deeper dive: Keane will detail what is at stake for the Mattress Recycling Council and its program expansion to states beyond California, Oregon, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. She will also delve into a topic that many people in the industry might not consider a sustainability issue—noncompliant mattress imports. “Health and safety are part of the sustainability story, and our producers have to comply with numerous regulatory standards when it comes to the safety of our products, including fire-resistant testing,” she says. “Noncompliant imports are putting consumers at risk, and I will discuss what ISPA is doing on this front.”
Why is the ISPA Sustainability Conference a “must-attend” event? “It is the only conference that gets the whole supply chain together to discuss sustainability in the mattress industry: suppliers, manufacturers, recyclers, retailers—everyone who has a stake in producing, selling, and managing a mattress at its end of life. At every point in this mattress journey, sustainability plays a key role, and the ISPA Sustainability Conference educates the industry on those opportunities.”
One thing to do right now to become more sustainable: “Look at our Sleep Products Sustainability Program (SP2) and institute one or more items at the facility level. Whether it is energy or waste or raw materials, being more sustainable often means being more profitable as well when it comes to manufacturing.”
Session: Global Trade Association Perspectives: Sustainability and Regulatory Updates
Frederik Lauwaert, managing director, European Bedding Industries Association
Kylie Roberts-Frost, CEO, Australian Bedding Stewardship Council
Gain insights from leading international trade associations as Lauwaert and Roberts-Frost share regional updates on sustainability priorities, policy developments, and industry responses across Europe and Australia. Featuring perspectives from EBIA and ABSC, this session will explore how organizations are advancing circularity, product stewardship, recycling infrastructure, and regulatory readiness in their respective markets. Attendees will gain a broader view of how sustainability expectations are evolving globally and where there may be opportunities for greater alignment, shared learning, and industry collaboration moving forward.
Deeper dive: During this session, Lauwaert will discuss one of the most significant challenges on his side of the ocean: the rapid evolution of sustainability-related regulation, particularly under the European Union’s Circular Economy framework. “Policies such as extended producer responsibility, eco-design requirements, and stricter rules on chemicals and recyclability are fundamentally reshaping how bedding products are designed, produced, and managed at end of life. The industry is actively responding by increasing collaboration across the value chain—manufacturers, recyclers, and policymakers—to develop scalable solutions for mattress collection, recycling, and material recovery,” he says. “At the same time, there is a strong push toward innovation in product design, including modular construction and the use of more sustainable and traceable materials.”
Roberts-Frost will speak to how Australia—a landmass roughly comparable to the contiguous United States but with fewer than 28 million people—is working to “move mattresses and bedding out of landfill and into a more circular system at national scale—and make the economics work. ABSC is working with manufacturers, importers, retailers, recyclers, and all levels of government to build a national, industry-led stewardship model that accounts for that geography. That means growing industry participation, reducing free-riding, building responsible recycling pathways, improving product design, and investing in reuse and repair as key parts of the value chain.”
Why is the ISPA Sustainability Conference a “must-attend” event? “Sustainability is no longer sitting at the edge of the bedding industry,” says Roberts-Frost. “It is becoming central to product design, supply chains, consumer expectations, compliance, and long-term business resilience. The ISPA Sustainability Conference matters because it brings the industry together around practical action.”
Adds Lauwaert: “It’s a unique platform where the entire bedding value chain comes together to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time—how to transition toward a more sustainable and circular industry. It’s not just about sharing best practices; it’s about aligning on future standards, understanding regulatory trends, and fostering collaboration across regions.”
Opportunity for collaboration: “The Digital Product Passport is emerging as a key tool under the EU’s sustainability and circular economy framework, aimed at improving transparency on materials, chemicals, durability, and end-of-life options,” says Lauwaert. “As this concept gains traction internationally, it is essential that regions work together to promote interoperability and consistent data principles.”
Roberts-Frost agrees. “Product passports are a strong example of where international association collaboration will add real value,” she says. “If we align on common definitions, core data fields, and practical guidance for the bedding sector, we can help businesses prepare for future transparency and compliance requirements without duplicating effort across markets, particularly given the global nature of mattress and bedding manufacturers. For our industry specifically, the most useful passport work would connect design, materials, durability, repairability, reuse potential, and end-of-life pathways in a way that is legible to manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, regulators, and consumers. Associations are well placed to share lessons across markets, align language where possible, and support pilots that test what product data is actually useful in practice—not just what looks good in a framework!”
Adds Lauwaert, “EBIA and ISPA can collaborate in several concrete ways. First, by facilitating knowledge exchange—sharing lessons learned from early regulatory implementation in Europe and providing insights into market realities in the U.S. Second, by working toward common definitions and data standards for bedding products, which would help reduce administrative burden for companies.”
Session: From Insight to Impact: What’s Next for the Industry
Suzanne Shelton, senior partner, ERM Marketing & Communications Agency
Closing out the conference, this interactive session (facilitated by Shelton and other speakers) will bring together all attendees to translate the knowledge, tools, and strategies from earlier sessions into actionable plans for their companies and for the mattress industry as a whole.
Participants will work collaboratively to identify practical steps to implement a communications plan and help move the bar on sustainability initiatives. Through guided exercises and discussion, attendees will leave with concrete ideas they can bring back to their organizations and leadership, as well as a shared vision for how the industry can collectively advance sustainability, innovation, and long-term growth. (Shelton will also host an earlier session, “The New Era of Sustainability Communications,” featuring updated data from her similar talk during EXPO.)
Deeper dive: During this session, Shelton says you’ll receive specific insights about what customers and consumers expect from companies regarding sustainability. “Therefore, what to say—and maybe more importantly, what not say!—to create real impact and value,” she says.
Why is the ISPA Sustainability Conference a “must-attend” event? “It gives companies up and down the value chain new ideas and frameworks for getting their sustainability houses in order and creates opportunities for value chain partners to collaborate on sustainability to the betterment of both customers and suppliers. And companies will learn how to best leverage the work they’re doing in sustainability to drive business value!”
One thing to do right now to become more sustainable: “I’ll provide a few!”
- “Ask your local utilities to do a formal energy audit and identify investments that can be made to improve the energy efficiency of your plants, which will save carbon and save money.”
- “Similarly, hire a waste auditor to explore how you can reduce the amount of material you’re paying to send to the landfill and identify recyclers who might actually pay for some of it—this is a win for the environment and your bottom line.”
- “Make your materials easier to deconstruct and recycle—and communicate this. If a consumer is buying a new mattress, they’re often discarding an old one (which means end of use is top of mind), so let them know about what you’re doing to ensure the new mattress doesn’t just go to a landfill one day.”
Register Now for the 5th Annual ISPA Sustainability Conference
This year’s ISPA Sustainability Conference is Sept. 23–24 at Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, North Carolina. To find out more or to register for the event, please visit ispasustainability.com.
