Reborn wants to create a circular economy that combats mattress fraud and drives sustainability
‘For many years, the mattress industry has grappled with sustainability challenges, yet despite its efforts a fundamental issue remains: landfill is still the cheaper option. While policies, pledges and frameworks help to guide the conversation, they have yet to deliver a solution that makes recycling the logical financial choice for businesses. At the same time, an even more pressing problem threatens the industry: mattress fraud, an illicit trade costing an estimated £100m a year,’ says Paul Beckett, Reborn Products md (pictured).
‘Unscrupulous rogue manufacturers, operating from online selling platforms and the backs of vans, flood the market with dangerously misrepresented, low cost products made from reclaimed materials without compliance, safety assurances or transparency.’
Mattress recycling and manufacturing company Reborn Products reuses components to make new mattresses, or where that is not possible it re-processes, upgrades or recycles them for use in other industries.
‘Reborn is not just another recycling initiative, it is a comprehensive circular economy model that finally addresses the real barriers to sustainability in the mattress sector. By making recycling cheaper than landfill through reduced gate fees, businesses are incentivised to choose the sustainable route, reducing the need for landfill,’ explains Beckett.
‘Our pricing model establishes a clear and transparent price differential between products made from reprocessed materials and those manufactured from virgin components. No more disguising cheap, unregulated recycled products as new.
‘By clearly identifying products that use reprocessed components and ensuring full legal compliance, we empower legitimate businesses to compete on a level playing field – and cut rogue traders out of the equation. By reprocessing materials into desirable, market-ready products, we transform waste into value, combining recycling, manufacturing and trade supply into one seamless system.’
With extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes on the horizon, many retailers fear an added financial burden. But Beckett says the Reborn model removes the need for subsidies or consumer charges altogether by making recycling economically self-sufficient.
‘Rather than relying on regulation and enforcement to suppress fraudulent practices, we change the game entirely. By removing their financial advantage, rogue traders lose their grip – and control and profit return to reputable retailers and manufacturers who do things the right way.
‘The future of sustainability in the beds sector isn’t just about designing greener products: it’s about fixing the broken system that enables landfill reliance and fraudulent trade. Reborn is leading that change. It’s time for the industry to embrace a circular economy model that works – for businesses, for consumers and for the environment.’
