Slumbering with a clear conscience

As a sustainability pioneer with decades in the field, it is so exciting to experience well-known brands moving into the world of sustainable business.

Of course this is what educated and conscientious shoppers are demanding. No longer is just the ‘green fringe’ reading labels and asking for production details, but the mainstream of our population also want to shop products with a beneficial footprint.

More and more consumers are becoming green consumers to lighten their impact on the earth and do what’s best for their children. We all want a fair and liveable future on this planet – no longer just for our children, but for our current generations too.

There is a massive awareness now of our human impact on the planet, hence increasingly attention is being paid to reducing waste – re-use, recycling and repurposing resources to keep waste out of the environment. This is resulting in technological advances that were previously thought impossible.

One such advance is in the field of plastic recycling – an issue that The Green Times has been educating its readers on from its inception in 2008. So we understand the importance and the processes of ensuring that all the possible plastics land in the recycling stream and that new products are manufactured from them. Especially PET recycling forms part of our key educational initiative.

New thinking leads to new business

As business learns to think differently, they are producing more eco-friendly products, which are worth investigating. Especially as there is some scepticism amongst the early up takers, who lead the green movement.

The Nielsen Global Sustainability Report found that 66% of consumers said they would happily pay more for products from environmentally friendly businesses. Consumers want to spend their money on a brand they can trust to do the right things. We are aware that environmental activism, and plain responsible living, starts with how and what we consume. Our purchasing power is our voting power for a sustainable future.

And we are hyper aware of greenwashing. It’s no good if a company does one green thing, like recycling, and then calls themselves eco-friendly. There have been many such cases in past decades, but I am happy to notice that very seldom now. As the knowledge deepens in business too, we are truly taking hands for our future.

Just to recap, the sustainability table rests on four legs:

• Water conservation
• Energy conservation
• Waste reduction and recycling
• Biodiversity

And I would add the table top is social justice. Protecting vulnerable people is part and parcel of protecting this planet and all her threatened species and resources.

Eco-friendly brands recognise some of the biggest threats facing our planet and know how to come up with ways to overcome some of those issues.

Bed of almost 100% recycled materials

Friday was World Sleeping Day. In our series on sleeping with a good conscience we take a look at the next level of the Slumberland Eco Lux range. We remember that the base is made of wood from sustainable forests and why that is important. But do you know that these beds rely almost 100% on the use of recycled materials? How did they build this into the Green Wave and the Pure Earth beds?

It is crucial to support end products of the recycling industry, as that then means that more and more waste can be recycled. The Green Times emanated from within the recycling industry, so this is one of our core values. Fourteen years ago recycling was our first intensive knowledge stream focused on, and it still persists today. It is simply the first obvious way in which every citizen can do something practical to care for the earth – how you generate and handle your waste. The problem is visible and acute. Zero waste is a key requirement for an inhabitable planet.

How was recycling incorporated into the production of the two Slumberland eco-beds, called the Green Wave and the Pure Earth?

Recycled PET makes up 7 layers of eco-beds

No less than 7 layers of the eco beds are made of recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles:

• Eco-Sleep surface: This consists of a luxurious knit fabric made from reformulated yarn. An anti-microbial agent is added to promote hygienic sleep and long-lasting protection against dust mites and odours.
• Eco-Fill: Recycled PET fill plays a major role in the luxurious feeling of sleeping in supreme luxury.
• Eco-Base border
• Eco-Mattrass border
• Eco-Comfortable fibre layers: Recycled PET is turned into polyester, delivering luxury and strength.
• Eco-Insulator pad: This pad ensures you won’t feel the metal spring system at the heart of the bed. Also ensures the various comfort layers maintain their perfect position for comfort.
• Eco-Feet made of recycled plastic.

Recycled steel also built into beds

Not only recycled plastic, but also recycled steel is used in the Eco-Lux beds. Like the Eco-Pocket system made from discarded metal turned into a highly advanced spring system. These individually cased coils conform to your body’s movements – with minimal partner disturbance.

So too the Eco-Edge Guard, where the spring butterfly edge is made from repurposed steel. Placed along the perimeter of the pocket spring system, it prevents the edges from sagging. This increases the sleep surface so you can sleep right up to the edge.

So now it’s possible to sleep in luxury with a clear conscience, as it seems no stone was left unturned to produce a bed that fully supports the important recycling of waste in our country.

It is not enough to state that you recycle your waste, it’s even more important to create industries which builds the use of recycled waste into their core business – and proudly so. I think this is excellent progress and something to support. Who wouldn’t want one of these beds?

• Read more about the Slumberland Eco-Beds here.