FEAD, the European Waste Management Association, brought together a group of experts coming from the mattresses value chain to visit the RetourMatras plant in the Netherlands, to start laying the foundations of a Circular Value Chain Partnership.
The Sleep Circular project is a FEAD initiative aiming at addressing the low collection and recycling rates of end-of-life mattresses in Europe and achieving a truly circular mattress lifecycle through cross-value chain collaboration. This project reflects FEAD’s vision of a circular economy powered by strategic partnerships that connect the waste management sector with industrial production to boost the uptake of recycled materials and drive sustainable growth.
For this purpose, FEAD has launched a call for partners for this ambitious project. A group of FEAD experts specialising in mattress collection and recycling from various Member States met on site to lay the groundwork for the project’s action plan. This plan will later be presented and discussed with all EU-level partners involved. Sleep Circular aims to raise the current mattress recycling rate from 20 to 80 per cent, divert mattresses from landfill and incineration, and forge stronger links between the waste management sector, industrial producers, and local authorities.
With the first working plan of the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) adopted on 19 April 2025, the European Commission has identified furniture, including mattresses, as a priority for developing ecodesign criteria. This recognition highlights the strategic importance of the sector at EU level and the pressing need for sustainability improvements.
A significant contribution to the circular economy
RetourMatras – member of DWMA, the Dutch Waste Management Association, member of FEAD – is operational in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and France with seven dismantling facilities so far. With an innovative approach, the company recycles 1.5 million mattresses annually into high-quality raw materials, making a significant contribution to the circular economy and CO₂ reduction. The company has already reached 80 per cent recycling ratio in 2024 and 85 per cent recovery of the materials for re-use, including foam, steel, textile and mixed waste, which goes to energy recovery. Through different technological processes, RetourMatras achieves an annual CO₂ savings of 101 million kilos, a significant step forward in this field.
„FEAD is strongly committed to the success of this project. We proudly count on dedicated experts within our members who are working hard to push towards ambitious collection and recycling end-of-life mattresses, ensuring the transformation of these bulky waste into resources,“ states Paolo Campanella, Secretary General of FEAD.
„Creating a truly circular mattress chain requires collaboration across the entire value chain, from producers and retailers to waste associations, recyclers and policymakers. We’re proud that the foundations for this initiative are being laid at our RetourMatras plant. It reflects our shared ambition to turn mattresses from waste into valuable resources at scale,“ says Chico van Hemert, Managing Director at RetourMatras Group.
FEAD looks forward to cooperating with different stakeholders to highlight the importance of mattresses as a waste stream.
Source: FEAD
