Auping and Van Gansewinkel take back old mattresses

The Netherlands – Dutch bed manufacturer Royal Auping and waste management company Van Gansewinkel have jointly developed the Auping Take Back System through which the public can return old mattresses for recycling.

When a new Auping mattress is delivered, the old one is taken back and subsequently recycled by Van Gansewinkel. For example, the mattress springs are melted down to make new steel while the latex and foam rubber can be processed into, among other products, carpet underlay and judo mats.

The system is said to represent the first step in applying the cradle-to-cradle principle to mattresses; Auping’s goal for the coming years is to make all its products 100% recyclable while simultaneously improving the sustainability and quality of its manufacturing operation. Van Gansewinkel is to help optimise waste management operations at Auping’s production plants.

Frank Auer, CEO of Koninklijke Auping, comments: ‘With the Auping Take Back System, the materials from mattresses are reused responsibly in ways that benefit the environment.’ Roger Beuting, Regional Director at Van Gansewinkel, adds: ‘With our expertise in components, recycling processes and logistics systems, we give waste a second life as raw materials for new products. It would be a shame to continue taking old mattresses to rubbish tips or incineration plants when we can process them into a large number of different, useable raw materials.’