Sustainability is not a new concept at Naturalmat, it is in fact in the bedrock of the business, but the brand continues to explore new strategies to reduce and recycle…
When Naturalmat first decided to make mattresses back in 1999, they couldn’t understand why the majority of mattresses were made using man-made synthetic materials that were neither biodegradable nor from a sustainable source. Starting from the premise that natural fibres were best, the company set out to make a mattress that contained just that – without any chemical additives whatsoever. Not only is the provenance of the product important, but packaging is also kept environmentally friendly as the brand continues to develop the range and improve the products, while remaining true to the guiding principles that started this sustainable journey.
Image credit: Naturalmat
All the ingredients that go into a Naturalmat product are 100 per cent natural and from a sustainable resource that is harvested according to Fair Trade principles. Where possible, local sources are used in an effort to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible. At the end of their life, all the materials are 100 per cent biodegradable or recyclable, so will return to nature as nature intended.
Having just published the first impact report, created to share the brand plans as it works towards new sustainability goals. We spoke to Naturalmat about the sustainability strategy moving forward.
“For us, sustainability isn’t just a fashionable bandwagon to jump on, it’s been at the heart of Naturalmat since the very beginning. But with ever more-urgent warnings coming from scientists about the state of our planet and the impacts of climate change and ecological decline, time is now running out. We must keep doing more to raise the bar in our industry.”
For Naturalmat this means being bolder than ever before. In 2021 the company worked with sustainability experts to establish what the biggest challenges and opportunities were, and asked stakeholders which sustainability issues were most important to them. The B Corp. application was submitted, and this process has already brought about significant changes.
With clear targets moving forward, there are five pillars to this sustainability strategy, and these are clearly and succinctly communicated in this infographic listing the aims, ideals and targets.
Image credit: Naturalmat
It is exciting seeing a brand like Naturalmat, which already ticks so many of the right boxes, not only dig deeper into sustainability but do so in a transparent document which not only creates some accountability, but hopefully will also encourage others to look at both process and production, and rise to the challenge of cleaner and more sustainable business practice.
Naturalmat is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Main image credit: Naturalmat
