A circular boost for mattresses in Norway

Every year, around 750,000 mattresses are discarded in Norway - most of them end up in incineration. This is a trend that the Norwegian company ReMadrass aims to reverse in a more sustainable direction.

Published: 28.January, 2025
Last updated: 05.December, 2025

– Every year, we dispose of enormous quantities of mattresses in Norway. We saw a great potential in creating a system that could transform this waste into resources through reuse and recycling, says Lennert Hug, the founder of ReMadrass.

ReMadrass' ambitious project, supported by the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund, aims to establish a national system for the reuse and recycling of mattresses. The concept is entirely new in the Nordic market and represents a significant step towards a more circular economy in Norway.

ReMadrass founder Lennert Hug has great ambitions for the company, which is the first of its kind in the Nordics.

From Waste to Valuable Resources

With 19,000 tons of plastic and 8,000 tons of textile as annual waste from mattresses in the Nordics, ReMadrass aims to make a difference. By collecting and reusing 10,000 mattresses in the project's first phase, both waste volume and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.

– Each mattress we save spares the environment from up to 10 kilograms of plastic and 100 kilograms of CO₂. Mattresses often consist of foam plastic and textiles with a high plastic content. This makes the reuse of each mattress a significant environmental saving, says Hug.

This is How it Should Work

The ReMadrass system consists of several phases:

Mapping and Collection
Mattresses will be collected from furniture chains, hotels, and municipal waste facilities. IKEA Norway plays a key role in the pilot phase by offering collection points for mattresses returned under the comfort guarantee.
Demo Facility at Jevnaker
A pilot facility has been built at Jevnaker, capable of processing several thousand mattresses annually. Here, the mattresses will be disinfected, UV-treated, and prepared for reuse. Those that cannot be reused will be recycled, where plastic, textile, and other materials are separated and reused.
Awareness and Information
To succeed with the project, it is crucial to inform consumers about the value of reuse and recycling. In collaboration with IKEA and Hadeland og Ringerike Avfallsselskap (HRA), ReMadrass plans an information campaign to increase awareness and engagement around the project.

Collaboration for Change

The project is built on a solid collaboration between parties such as IKEA Norway, Retourmatras, and Hadeland og Ringerike Avfallsselskap (HRA). With a pilot facility at Jevnaker and testing of collection points at IKEA, the foundation is laid for a full-scale reuse and recycling system.

IKEA plays a crucial role in the project through its comfort guarantee, which makes it easy for customers to return mattresses they are not fully satisfied with, within 90 days.

In the reuse shop at IKEA, customers can now find cleaned mattresses ready for a new life.

- The comfort guarantee means we receive thousands of mattresses back each year. Unfortunately, we previously did not have a good solution for handling them. They have been incinerated, which has both a significant environmental footprint and is costly. With ReMadrass, we now have a partner who can give these mattresses a new life, says Siri Nordhagen, Head of Sustainability at IKEA Norway.

Now, the mattresses can be sent to ReMadrass for cleaning and quality control. After treatment, they are sold as cleaned and packaged mattresses in IKEA's reuse stores, labeled as quality assured and available at a reduced price.

Nordhagen adds:

– The collaboration with ReMadrass has been a pleasure. We have had to find new solutions together, and the result is a win-win-win situation. Customers get a quality product at a good price, we reduce waste and costs, and we save CO₂ emissions and material resources. This is a solution we are proud of.

The cleaned mattresses are marked with a sticker, sent back to IKEA, and sold in the reuse store. — The cleaned mattresses are marked with a sticker, sent back to IKEA, and sold in their reuse store.

A Glimpse into the Future

By 2026, ReMadrass aims for a nationwide collection system with over 100 collection points and the recycling of 100,000 mattresses annually. This will save more than 5,000 tons of plastic, 2,000 tons of textile, and 60,000 tons of CO₂ annually.

– Our major goal is to be able to reuse and recycle all mattresses discarded annually in Norway, says Hug.

ReMadrass and their partners demonstrate that there are solutions for managing a significant waste problem sustainably. With support from the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund, they are well on their way to creating a circular system that benefits both the environment and consumers.