
Hotel Mattresses: Choosing the Best for People & Planet
Hotel mattresses don’t need to be a burden on the planet and comfortable mattresses don’t rely on harmful materials. Beware of ‘Eco’ labelling and look closely at the composition. There are cost-effective options out there if you know where to find them.
Base materials & manufacture
Firstly, manmade fibres are not an essential component of a hygienic, fire retardant, comfortable mattress. Don’t be fooled by manufacturers implying that polyester is necessary for health reasons. Not only does synthetic content make end of life more difficult, the general public are becoming more aware of the adverse effects of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), the potentially toxic vapours released from new products containing manmade materials. Look out for foam free mattresses with natural fibre covers and be aware of adhesives used in manufacture.
Embrace British wool
We bang on about supporting British wool quite a lot. From an environmental perspective there is an argument that wool perpetuates consumption of meat. Our feeling is that, right now, wool is a undervalued by-product that should be used. When we are all vegan, a different debate needs to take place, but currently farmers are struggling to find buyers for British wool and some farmers are even incinerating fleeces because it’s just not worth the effort. Shocking eh? Wool has inherent fire retardancy, regulates humidity, has excellent thermal qualities, is abundant and makes fabulous mattresses.
Post-consumer textiles
Some brands also use shredded post-consumer textiles as a component in their mattresses. Harrison Spinks use shredded cashmere waste from haute couture fashion houses and Naturalmat use offcuts from jeans manufacture. These types of innovation are really pushing the industry to find creative ways of not only lowering their own impact but tackling external waste.
Mattresses covers – choose cotton or linen
According to Cotton Connect only 30% of global cotton can be classed as ‘sustainable’. Although a natural fibre the cultivation of cotton is problematic in terms of water use, biodiversity and pollution. You’re not going to find UK grown cotton so it will have travelled a considerable distance. If you are choosing cotton covers, look out for GOT (Global Organic Textiles) or Better Cotton certification. Cotton is not inherently bad but huge-scale irresponsible production characterises the majority of the industry.
Flax (linen) on the other hand, is a bit of a wonder plant. It’s likely that flax has been grown in the UK since the Bronze Age. From flax we derive linseed (and linseed oil) and linen fibre. It is more durable than cotton, it has better hypoallergenic qualities and it’s generally more breathable. Harrison Spinks uses their homegrown linen to create their mattress covers.
Springs & Support
The majority of ‘non-foam’ mattresses utilise steel pocket springs. Enchanted House and Harrison Spinks guarantee 100% UK produced steel, Naturalmat use a minimum of 25% recycled steel content in their springs. Harrison Spinks are focusing on using steel from mattresses returned in their recycling scheme to manufacture new springs. Steel has an large carbon impact but sensible recycling and reuse can minimise that.
Transporting hotel mattresses
There are plenty of UK mattress manufacturers, from the really budget end to the ultimate in luxury. The transportation of mattresses has a high carbon impact and there is no excuse for not buying British.
The finished mattress has a carbon impact associated with delivery to its final destination but also consider the impact of the raw materials travelling to the manufacturing site. Leeds-based Harrison Spinks sources only British wool and grow their own flax (linen) for the mattress coverings. Enchanted House only use wool from their own sheep farm and Naturalmat source wool only from Devon and neighbouring Cornwall and Dorset. The closer the raw materials are to the manufacturing site, the better. Often companies advertise (quite legally) as British made when their operations in the UK are really only a matter of assembly. Dig a little deeper and you’ll be able to distinguish the genuinely homegrown from the questionably sourced.
There is, of course, the thorny issue of packaging. Traditionally mattresses are delivered with a heck of lot of plastic wrap. Vispring uses 100% recyclable packaging and Naturalmat deliver in reusable bags which they take away. It’s always a good idea to ask how they will be delivered because manufacturers should be transparent about the impact of transportation and happy to provide information.
End of life considerations for hotel mattresses
My old neighbourhood had a permanent collection of unwanted mattresses dumped in the car park. It was a depressing sight, demonstrating a failing in council collection services who didn’t cater for a majority carless population. Everyday I would walk past wondering about their eventual fate in landfill. Years later I similarly wonder about the fate of unwanted hotel mattresses. According to Dreams the UK sends “167,000 tonnes of mattresses to landfill each year in the UK“. That level of waste is not sustainable in any sense. Don’t despair though. A growing number of companies are taking the issues seriously and once we make responsible disposal a necessity rather than a afterthought, things will change for the better. We’d encourage any hotel, big or small, to be that change, celebrate it and reap the benefits.
Thankfully almost every mattress manufacturer addresses the issue of disposal nowadays. It’s up to us to decipher what is greenwash and what is genuine responsibility for the whole life cycle of the product. Some manufacturers rely on the services of independent mattress recyclers who may, or may not accept hotel returns. Others, have their own take back systems. When we’re placing orders for brand new products, future disposal is not at the forefront of our minds but, as specifiers, we need to order responsibly and ensure information is included in O&M manuals so that easily recyclable products don’t end up in skips.
How to compare hotel mattresses
At Yellow we have developed an extensive database that we use to make informed choices in our specifications. Below is an example of some of the information we gather in order to help our clients decide which products align with their values, market and budget. We also detail warranties, the composition of the mattress, repair and take back schemes offered by the manufacturer and recommended maintenance. Beware of buzz words and look for the facts – vague commitments won’t cut it nowadays. Here we’ve listed some of the most responsible mattress manufacturers in the UK and a small selection of the data we collect. Please be aware that obtaining certifications costs money and some manufacturers choose to invest, others don’t, but would still qualify. The certifications listed here are not exhaustive as many advertised do not cross product ranges. Certifications range from basic compliance to exceptional standards so it’s important to dig into what marks mean.
Brand | URL | Place of manufacture | Certifications | Recyclable |
Harrison Spinks | https://www.harrisonspinks.co.uk/ | Leeds, UK | Cradle to Cradle, OEKO-TEX 100, | 100% |
Naturalmat | https://naturalmat.co.uk/ | Devon, UK | B Corp, FSC, OEKO-TEX 100, | 100% |
Enchanted House | https://enchantedhousebeds.com/ | Devon, UK | Woolmark | Unknown |
Vispring | https://www.vispring.com/en-uk/hotels/ | Devon, UK | ISO 14001 | 100% |
Hypnos | https://www.hypnosbeds.com/ | Buckinghamshire, UK | Better Cotton, Planet Mark PAS 2060, ISO 14001, FSC, | 100% |
Simba | https://simbasleep.com/ | Derby, UK | B Corp, Better Cotton | 100% |
Our final tip for sourcing sustainable hotel mattresses is to engage in dialogue with suppliers. The more we ask the questions, the more likely it is that manufacturers will invest in environmental innovations. The more informed we are as specifiers or customers, the more real change will be required. We should be really proud of the exciting developments that are already happening and encourage everyone in the industry to keep pace.