Circular economy and know-how for more sustainable mattresses
The Soft Furniture industry uses a variety of materials, including polyurethane (PU) foam, polyester, leather, and wood, to provide us with the furniture we need for comfort and style.
The Vita Group recognizes the need to reduce the environmental impact of these materials while continuing to provide top-quality products. Using more sustainable raw materials plays a significant role in resolving this challenge for Vita.
Vita’s products must meet stringent standards and prioritize transparency, sustainable sourcing, and responsible manufacturing to build trust with consumers and partners and encouraging them to choose more sustainable options.
To make Vita’s vision reality, Covestro used its know-how and teamed up with Vita to develop a more sustainable concept foam that uses ISCC* PLUS-certified toluene diisocyanate (TDI) in manufacturing Orbis Plus MB (Mass Balance), Vita’s new generation of foams for sustainable mattresses.
* International Sustainability and Carbon Certification
Our aim is to increase awareness of the potential that mass-balance raw materials can bring among manufacturers and consumers. We hope that together with suppliers we can discover opportunities of developing more sustainable products and solutions that meet performance and quality standards that are also good for the environment at the same time. To achieve these goals, we partnered with Covestro, as one of the leaders in transformation and an enabler of the circular economy.
Finding materials that are sustainable and meet the soft-furniture industry's performance and quality standards is the innovation that both Covestro and Vita wants to strive for. This is in addition to the challenge of finding a balance between durability, and compliance with certain standards e.g. fire safety regulations. This makes it tougher for companies to switch to sustainable materials as detailed consideration and research must be carried out to ensure that such switch does not compromise on the products’ quality and safety.
Furthermore, foamers have reservations that switching to more sustainable materials might involve modifications to their existing production set-ups.
One of the major benefits of using ISCC* PLUS-certified TDI: Vita does not need to change any of its proven formulations, equipment and processes. And yet, Vita is now in a position to gradually transform its portfolio to more sustainable products and, at the same time, achieve its climate goals.
Sustainable, transparent sourcing and production are key to building a relationship of trust with consumers and partners and encouraging them to choose more sustainable options.
Creating an awareness among manufacturers that seamless production is possible, that no modifications to existing formulations, production lines and processes are necessary, is a vital aspect. A major plus: manufacturers can bring about a gradual, more sustainable transformation of their product portfolio and simultaneously meet their climate targets.
Mattress foams and other products from recycled, renewable mass-balance materials not only meet stringent industry and environmental standards and offer the same high quality and comfort but also reduce the impact on the environment, promote a circular economy, and appeal to consumers who prioritize sustainability.
Mass balance (MB) is a certified and widely used method to bring more sustainable raw materials into the production chain. Currently, fossil materials are being replaced by renewable ones derived from bio-circular sources (e.g. plant residues, used cooking oils) in an early stage of raw material extraction and then attributed to the finished products.
Recognized by Interzum’s “High Product Quality” Award in 2023, Orbis Plus MB foam from The Vita Group is, its latest innovation of flexible polyurethane (PU) foam made with raw materials sourced from renewable and recycled sources. TDI, being a vital component of this product, is produced by Covestro with ISCC* PLUS-certified feedstock.
Collaboration and partnership are key to innovation. Renewable attributed TDI used to produce more sustainable foam saw the birth of Orbis Plus MB, a new generation of foam that also bagged the prestigious Interzum Award.
Key Benefits
- Durable, comfortable: High-quality, durable, sustainable and comfortable products customers can trust.
- Sustainable: Renewable-attributed materials help the industry achieve its climate targets.
- Seamless, adaptable: Readily implementable; no need to alter formulations, equipment and processes.
- Transparent: Materials from certified sources promote trust and encourage sustainable options.
