Earth Day

4 SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2022 EARTH DAY 2022 It's time to go to the mattresses By Charlene Adam E nvironmentalists have achieved a great deal. For many, however, the environmental cause is still seen as a battle. And as we've learned from epic movies such as The Godfather or You've Got Mail, when you engage in battle, you have to "go to the mattresses." With modern production, distribution and recycling programs, we can now literally go to the mattresses for the environment by simply choosing the right ones. Larger ticket items such as these have always required deeper inspection prior to purchase. And sustainability can now be part of that deci- sion-making process. Newer companies, such as Canadian-owned Polysleep Canada, are responding to the call for sustainable beds. Their products are made with recyclable foam. Sustainable delivery is key to their business model. The design has removed the need for wire and wood, allowing the mattresses to be com- pressed for shipping. "Compressing them reduces transportation costs and our carbon footprint," says Polysleep co-founder Jeremiah Curvers. Curvers continued to explain that six of their mattresses take up the room on one traditional model, thus further lessening their impact on the environment. And in Montreal, they've partnered with Chasseurs Courrier, a bike-courier company. So, they literally deliver their beds by bike. While high-end foam mattress companies see sustainability advantages due to their di- rect-to-consumer delivery model, they also em- brace the promotion of the product's full life cycle. In years past, the only ways to manage the end- of-use sustainably of a mattress were through the hand-me-down process or via donation. While donation programs still exist in Manito- ba, fewer organizations now accept them. According to a 2015 report called Manitoba Government Invests in Recycling Project, more than 40,000 mattresses were sent to the land- fill yearly. And "nearly 90 per cent of it is recy- clable," the report explained. Since the report's release, a recycling partnership between the government and a local company called Mother Earth Recycling is seeing success. Jessica Floresco, general manager of Mother Earth Recycling, explains that successful ven- ture is achieved "through the operation of la- bour-intensive recycling programs." " The design has removed the need for wire and wood, al- lowing the mattresses to be compressed for shipping. Compressing them reduces trans- portation costs and our carbon footprint." CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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