The impact of the pandemic has been a key driver of sustainable thinking. As the world as we knew it stopped, we soon realised the impact we’d been having on the environment. It was clear that to move forward, we needed to protect our home, and our businesses needed to find a way to adapt to that. In order to recover from the pandemic, and the other terrible things we have done to Earth, we had to learn to change.

But what exact lessons have we learned from the pandemic with regards to sustainability?

Ely mattresses

We’re proud to say we have always focused on sustainability. We offer removal and recycling services to make sure old mattresses are disposed of correctly, and make our new mattresses from fully recyclable and natural materials.

Minimising carbon footprint

When assessing our carbon footprint, we first need to understand what that means. It refers to the amount of greenhouse gas being emitted during a given period. This can be from a person’s activities, including the products they purchase, and the impact the manufacturing and transport of that product has had on the environment.

We often hear about carbon dioxide when discussing greenhouse gases, but this is not the only world damaging substance they include. There’s also nitrous oxide, methane, and other fluorinated gases.

We understand a single person’s carbon footprint is much smaller than a manufacturing business like ourselves, but your decisions with regards to who you buy off make all the difference, because you decide who thrives and who does not survive.

At Ely, we value our environment, and the pandemic has made us realise we want it to be as healthy as possible. We’re working to change the way waste management is conducted.

Landfill is a huge issue here and all over the world. It’s a global nightmare. For instance, research conducted in 2020 showed that the US alone throws away 18.2 million mattresses per year, however there are only 56 facilities with the ability to recycle them. In the UK, 7.5 million mattresses head to landfill annually. That’s enough to fill Wembley Stadium five times. With each mattress taking potentially hundreds of years to decompose, it’s no surprise there are serious worries that we’ll run out of landfill space by 2022. That’s next year!

Now, when we consider these mattresses are potentially filled with harmful chemicals, which can pose a huge threat to living beings, it gets even more scary, especially when we remember that we aren’t taking into consideration the other items we toss into the trash that damage the environment.

The planet has been given a well deserved break, but it isn’t enough.

Thankfully, the pandemic has increased the eco-consciousness of the public generally. Our people have been suffering. We don’t want to see anymore. We know now that we need to take serious steps towards making a difference.

How we are helping

All things natural

None of our Ely mattresses contain toxic chemicals. They’re also made from durable, natural materials, which means they are designed to last longer, thus reducing the carbon footprint that comes with frequent deliveries of things, and that they break down when put into landfill.

Although price and comfort play an important role when people are looking to purchase a mattress, we know that sustainability, chemical use, and environmental impact are very important to a post-pandemic population, and we’re proud to be able to offer all of these elements.

This brings many benefits, both to individual health and to the planet. The more you buy, the more eco-conscious products are added to the market, and the more affordable it becomes for us to produce these items. As this way of living becomes more popular, the other, less environmentally friendly businesses will be pushed out of process or forced to change their methods, and the cycle continues.

Our work with The Furniture Recycling Group (The TFR Group)

We work with The Furniture Recycling Group, who will take your old mattress and, in a careful and responsible manner, completely strip it bare, They’ll then recycle its components.

TFR Group provides a sustainable solution for a difficult waste stream, and has recycled over 1 million mattresses to date, to help with the disastrous landfill issues we currently experience as a global population. The work TFR Group does enables the diversion of 100% of the mattresses they process away from landfill in the UK. We are privileged to be part of this kind of reality.

Final thoughts

For many of us, the pandemic turned our attention to the cruel way we lived. Lots of us no longer want to live a lifestyle that carelessly takes advantage of the wonders of mother nature. We want to live more carefully, in a way that is healthy of us, and for the planet we live on.

It’s been distressing in many ways, but also enlightening.

For more information on Ely mattresses and how we’re working to make the world a better place to live in, read our story. If you’re ready to buy, browse our range.