Case study
Breathable, recyclable baby mattress made from TPU – a Desmopan® AIR case study
NEVEON and Covestro have developed a prototype baby mattress made entirely from Desmopan® AIR TPU. The concept delivers a breathable, washable cushioning solution in a mono-material design, proving the feasibility of zoned comfort, improved hygiene, and simplified end-of-life recycling.
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Design a concept-level infant mattress core combining excellent moisture management, tailored support zones, and long-lasting washability. Build it entirely from TPU to enable recycling evaluation, and provide prototypes for lab testing and real-world user trials.
Conventional foams trap moisture and are hard to clean; multi-material constructions complicate recycling. The challenge was to design a complete mattress system – outer surface, comfort layers, and internal structure – fully from TPU while keeping it soft, breathable, machine-washable, and suitable for scalable production.
The project with NEVEON showed how material design and processing go hand in hand. By pairing Desmopan® AIR with targeted parallel-layer manufacturing technology and pilot validation, we delivered a solution that meets comfort and hygiene needs and advances circular design for early stage care products.
Using Desmopan® AIR across all components, NEVEON produced a prototype mattress where cushion layers and functional zones are TPU-based and manufactured in a single continuous process. The design leverages a new production technology, PLM (parallel-layer manufacturing), to engineer airflow channels and create zoned comfort. Covestro contributed tailored material grades, processing recipes, and pilot support, while NEVEON handled prototype production and testing. The all-TPU approach eliminates incompatible adhesives and material joins, paving the way for thermo-mechanical recycling of the entire product.
Working with Desmopan® AIR let us reimagine the baby mattress core: we achieved clear improvements in airflow and washability while keeping the product fully recyclable. That combination is a game-changer for brands and parents who want safe, long-lasting, and more sustainable sleep products.
Key benefits
- Superior breathability: Enhanced airflow and moisture control through layered channels.
- Mono-material recyclability: Simplified end-of-life recycling via thermo-mechanical reprocessing.
- Zoned comfort & support: Tunable firmness by region for infant ergonomics and sleep quality.
- Washable hygiene: Cores maintain performance after repeated machine washing.
- Scalable, low-waste production: Parallel-layer manufacturing reduces scrap and supports on-demand production.
