You may not think about how materials used to make your night’s sleep cozy are actually part of industries carrying large carbon footprints. Consumers in Western society almost exclusively buy new bedding rather than second-hand. Meaning, chances for the industry to gain circular economy status are slim.
However, here at Sleep Zone, we want to introduce you to the world of green sleep. A time where you can truly relax knowing your dreamland is filled with environmentally friendly manufacturing and repurposing.
1. What is Green Sleep?
Green sleep is a term coined using the idea that the materials, manufacturing processes and methods of shipping are currently contributing to an unnecessarily high carbon footprint. Not to mention the growing ocean waste berg’s that each unwanted mattress or duvet is adding to.
So, with this, companies across the world are coming together to collaborate on a global-scale project to decrease the carbon footprint that Western society has created with sleeping demands. Here at Sleep Zone, we are one of these companies and we’ve come up with ways to create ‘green sleep’.
Here are some of the factors that Sleep Zone is implementing to allow you to have a greener night’s sleep:
- Using Recycled Plastics
- Creating a Circular Economy
- Using Eco-Friendly Packaging
- Working with Eco-Conscious Shipping Partners
- Producing to Strict Environmental Standards
- Looking to a Greener Future of Sustainability
2. What Materials Make a Greener Night’s Sleep?
Green sleep, in short, uses recycled plastics that would otherwise contribute to a growing issue of waste management.
Plastics such as bottles, wrappers and caps are all made up of polymers which are very hard for our Earth to break down. Yet, companies such as Unifiber already have the capabilities to reduce polymers to Nylon fibers and create material spun into a recycled textile: hence recycled plastics making fabric.
So, the aim of green sleep would be to reduce the amount of these non-bio-degradable and single-use plastics going into landfills and creating them into something new and recyclable. It also means to reduce amounts of new materials like cotton being harvested at unsustainable rates across the globe. Instead, efforts in manufacturing processes will be diverted towards making something new out of something old.
P.S. These manufacturing processes also need to be eco-friendly and kind to our sustainability efforts.
For more information on the exact processes, check out our other article: “Eco-Friendly Fiber: Turns Used Bottles to Fabric”.
3. What is a Circular Economy?
Simply put, there are two types of the economy when it comes to consumerism: a linear and a circular economy. A linear economy is incorporated by the majority of the US whereby a product is produced, used and discarded.
A circular economy, on the other hand, is the idea that everything can be used and reused in a circular motion. For example; sustainable materials are produced and used to manufacture a product. This product is then re-used, fixed, rejuvenated and used again. Each broken part is fixed or recycled to make new parts. This drastically reduces waste and the unsustainable global demand for materials.
So, with green sleep making use of recycled plastics and other materials, we are working towards a circular economy and a greener planet. This is why, here at Sleep Zone, we have made it our mission to use sustainable and recycled plastics – such as the Unifiber – to make the soft and comfortable beds we all love to snooze in.
