MATR - a circular economy mattress solution for hotels

MATR - a circular economy mattress solution for hotels

MATR is an award-winning circular economy company based in Vienna, Austria offering an innovative mattress-as-a-service solution to hotels. Their mission is to save hotels time, money and CO2, all whilst providing their guests with a premium sleep experience.

The company was founded in 2022 by Verena and Michaela, two impact-driven entrepreneurs passionate about designing out waste from the mattress industry. It all started when they came across the shocking statistic that 30 million mattresses end up as waste in Europe every year, equivalent to 20,000 stacked Eiffel towers of mattress waste.

The problem? Mattresses are designed to end up as waste after being used once. Verena and Michaela decided it was time to put this problem to bed. That’s why MATR was born: The first all-in-one mattress solution that embeds circular economy design right from the start, featuring a premium mattress made from just 2 high quality materials, a unique service model and flexible financing. MATR mattresses never end up as waste and always go back into the material cycle, resulting in a carbon footprint 50% less than conventional mattresses.

MATR’s vision is to make sleep matter in the hospitality industry and to wake up in a world where waste is no longer a problem.

MATR’s mission is to design out waste from mattresses and enable hotels to provide premium sustainable sleep experiences for their guests, improving their environmental footprint in an accessible, effortless way.

Our uniqueness lies in the fact that we have created the first circular economy mattress solution in Austria. MATR’s circular economy solution is built using the highest circular economy design principles of refurbishing, reuse and recycling, featuring a premium mattress and innovative business and service model that closes the loop for hotels.

Our pioneering mattress is sustainably produced in the EU using green energy and is made from just 2 high quality materials, steel and polyester which are long lasting, 99% recyclable and always entered back into the material cycle (no downcycling or landfill/incineration). It features a click-on click-off glue for easy refurbishing and recycling, and is modularly designed to enable refurbishing and reuse for 2nd and even 3rd life customers, resulting in a life of 30+ years before it is fully recycled back into the material cycle. Thanks to our integrated product passport we track our materials and facilitate the take-back process for our customers.

Our business model creates impact across our entire value chain. Hotels can buy or rent mattresses from us, and add services which save time and money, including installation, take back and refurbishment options. Our approach and design results in a carbon footprint 50% less than conventional mattresses and we are only just getting started.

Austria, Europe

We launched on the market in January 2023 and we have now secured our first 9 paying hotel customers this year in Austria

#mattresses #circulareconomy

https://matr.eco/

https://www.instagram.com/matr.eco

Why MATR matters:
In our hometown of Vienna, more than 200,000 mattresses are incinerated every year. At the Austrian level, more than 1,000,000 mattresses are disposed of every year. In Europe, 18 million mattresses end up in landfills every year, and another 13 million are incinerated (source: EU Commission).

These mattresses emit enormous amounts of CO2, slowly disintegrate into their component parts and pose a major threat to health and the environment. In addition, current mattress solutions only add to this global waste problem and have a negative impact on climate change. Therefore, the need for circular mattress solutions is urgent.

This is also underlined by the upcoming circular economy regulation at Austrian and European level. In this context, we are also closing the education gap in the industry. MATR brings mattress industry players together to collaborate and show that immense value can be created from waste. We actively engage with industry experts and co-design workshops and webinars to spread our knowledge and awareness of the topic. To date, we have reached over 160 people in the industry and have a community of 900+ supporters.

To sum the life of a MATR mattress up and describe our cradle to cradle approach: Once bought, the MATR mattress can be used for more than 10 years. Once the mattress life is over, it is collected by us. Thanks to our smart design the mattress components can be easily taken apart and 99% of our components are then re-entered into the material loop. Our next goal is to make new mattresses out of the recycled MATR mattresses. Overall, our materials have a lifespan of 30 years before they are fully recycled. That means, we have several ways to extend the life cycle of our product, encouraging responsible production and consumption, addressing SDGs 3, 9, 12, 13 and 17.

Moreover, in future, we aim to grow the potential of our mattress rental model as part of our mattress-as-a-service offering. This enables us to keep the ownership of the mattress and make sure that they return into our material loop. In addition to that, we are further developing our product passport to serve as an easily accessible record, enabling consumers and businesses to make informed decisions based on the product's sustainability and ethical considerations. With the digital product passport from MATR we want to provide customers with a holistic solution that enables them to communicate their sustainability efforts effectively to their guests, increase guest satisfaction and retention rate and simplify their mattress management system and sustainability data collection.