Beyond Mattresses: Designing a Circular Future for Australian Bedding

For years, the Australian Bedding Stewardship Council (ABSC) has been the driving force behind mattress recycling. But what about everything that sits on top of the bed?

We are thrilled to announce the formation of the Top of Bed Working Group. This is a massive step forward for the ABSC as we expand our scope from mattresses and ensemble bed bases into the world of pillows, mattress protectors, linens, and similar textiles. This effort has been germinating over the past year under the strong leadership of Tracey Pryor, our Director of Innovation. Tracey’s expertise and extensive background in textiles have positioned her as the key driver for this expansion within the ABSC.

Why now?

Every year, a staggering amount of bedding ends up in landfill. Our vision is simple and bold: A circular top of bed industry where nothing goes to waste. We want to ensure that every sheet, quilt, and protector sold in Australia can be reused, recycled, or returned to raw inputs.

A Powerhouse Collaboration

This is an industry-wide movement. We’ve brought together a diverse group of experts – from brands like #GoKindly, a social enterprise, to big names like IKEA and Simba Global – to define how a national stewardship scheme could work. As the working group progresses with scope definition and creation of sub-committees, we will extend the network to include logistics, resource recovery and recycling experts.

What’s Next?

Led by Independent Chair Meriel Chamberlin, Business Development Manager for Salvos Stores, and Secretary Tracey Pryor, the working group is currently diving into the production and import tonnage data – how big is the problem we are solving? Next steps will include defining triage protocols to support reuse pathways, analysing the logistics conundrum, and developing a “Hub and Spoke” model to make recycling accessible for everyone.

Interested in learning more or joining this dynamic working group? Reach out to Tracey Pryor on innovation@bedding.org.au.

These are the concrete steps towards a circular economy for bedding; we’re building the infrastructure to make it a reality.