IKEA France, RetourMatras & Ecomaison bring your old mattress back to life

In a major step toward large-scale textile circularity, IKEA France, recycler RetourMatras, and producer responsibility organization Ecomaison have established a cross-border loop to manufacture the new IKEA HÖJEHALL mattress, which is composed of 80% recycled materials.

The closed-loop process successfully transforms domestic waste into high-quality secondary raw materials, proving that sustainable product alternatives can be introduced without commanding a higher retail premium for consumers.

The Cross-Border Recycling Supply Chain

The logistics network functions via a continuous, multi-stage recovery system that bridges French collection with advanced Dutch chemical processing:

1. Collection: Ecomaison gathers discarded post-consumer mattresses across France. Last year alone, the organization collected 5 million units, diverting nearly 80,000 tonnes of complex mixed waste (including latex, wool, foam, and springs) away from landfills or waste-to-energy incineration.

2. Dismantling: The harvested units are sent to RetourMatras, where operators separate the components into distinct streams of steel, textiles, and polyurethane foam.

3. Advanced Processing: The extracted foam is shipped to RetourMatras’ chemical recycling facilities in the Netherlands. The foam is treated to meet strict safety and quality standards, turning it into premium secondary polyols.

4. Manufacturing: This high-quality recycled raw material is returned to France as a core structural element of the newly manufactured HÖJEHALL mattresses sold in IKEA stores nationwide.

Overcoming the Recycled Material Cost Gap

Traditionally, manufacturing circular products at scale carries a heavy cost penalty. Separating, cleaning, and chemically refining post-consumer foam is significantly more labor-intensive and expensive than synthesizing virgin fossil-based materials.

The economic feasibility of the HÖJEHALL mattress relies directly on France’s eco-bonus scheme administered by Ecomaison. This financial incentive program structurally rewards companies for incorporating post-consumer recycled inputs into new home goods. By offsetting the pricing delta between recycled feedstocks and cheaper virgin options, the policy turns sustainable design into an economically viable choice for mass retail.

Driving Harmonized Policy Across Europe

The success of the initiative highlights a broader systemic issue within global manufacturing: recycled inputs continue to struggle to compete against cheap virgin plastics on price alone, creating an artificial barrier to decarbonization.

To resolve this imbalance globally, IKEA is advocating for the adoption of EU-wide eco-modulation criteria. The retailer recommends that these criteria align with product-specific rules under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), backed by uniform traceability and verification mandates. Additionally, upcoming regulatory shifts like the European Circular Economy Act present a critical window to harmonize these policy mechanisms across international markets, rendering high-value recycling cost-competitive on a global scale.

“Recycling mattresses at scale is complex and traditionally more expensive than using virgin materials. Foam, textiles and springs all need to be separated, cleaned and processed to meet strict quality and safety standards. But this loop shows that sustainability doesn’t have to come with a higher price – customers should be able to choose both sustainability and value.” — Mark Lewis, CEO, RetourMatras

“Sustainability comes first for us with products like HÖJEHALL, while we also strengthen resource independence and keep prices affordable for our customers. Eco modulation helps make that balance possible – so more people can choose sustainable options that fit their budget.” — Emilie Carpels, Sustainability Manager at IKEA France