ISPA sponsors mattress recycling effort

Competition aims to repurpose used mattress components

Staff Staff -- Furniture Today, September 8, 2008

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The International Sleep Products Assn. is a lead sponsor for a competition organized by non-profit organizations Rubicon National Social Innovations and Architecture for Humanity to develop new products that can be made from used mattress components. The competition is open to practicing product designers, design students and other interested parties.

ISPA officials said that one of the difficulties with recycling used mattress components is finding good markets for the reclaimed materials. The competition's organizers hope that contestants will propose innovative ideas that could make better use of recycled mattress materials, and that these new products might generate more revenues for disposal facilities, making them more profitable to run. They also want to raise consumer and public awareness about mattress disposal in particular, and recycling in general.

To pay for prizes and to offset some overhead costs associated with hosting the competition, Rubicon wants to raise $5,000 from sponsors. "We at ISPA think this is a very creative idea that supports the mattress industry's sustainability initiative," said ISPA Executive Vice President Ryan Trainer. "For this reason, we have signed on as the lead sponsor for this cause. We invite others in the mattress manufacturing and retailing community to support this truly worthwhile initiative."

Program sponsors will be identified online and in other promotional materials, where they can provide a link to their corporate Web site. For more information, contact Trainer at rtrainer@sleepproducts.org or the competition organizer, Jonathan Harrison, at jonathanh@rubiconprograms.org or (415) 963-3519. Harrison can also be reached at Rubicon National Social Innovations, 848 Folsom St. Suite 201, San Francisco, Calif., 94107.