The Bed Show, organised by the National Bed Federation (NBF), is firmly established in the trade calendar as the UK’s biggest bed exhibition. The Bed Show is the only place to see so many UK and Irish bed manufacturers and component suppliers all under one roof, with exhibitors ranging from the biggest brands on the market to small niche players.

Visit us at stand E40!

We will be at the event as an exhibitor, where we present our range of sustainable foam. As a leading flexible foam supplier to diverse markets, The Vita Group takes its responsibility to the environment seriously. Our team of experts across the group work hard to develop sustainable products in collaboration with raw material suppliers.

Our team is delighted to showcase our Orbis™ foam range at this year’s NBF Bed Show. Orbis™ is Europe’s first foam created with polyols created with chemically reprocessed end-of-life mattresses. The main driver behind the development of Orbis™, and our other sustainable foams produced is to create a circular economy. For Orbis™, this means preventing post-consumer products from ending up in landfills or being incinerated, thus creating a fully circular product.

Our strategy is to embed a sustainable option into every new product we develop. Science, technology, and our deep product understanding allow us to innovate and redefine living spaces continuously.

Register for a FREE Visitor ticket for NBF 2023 here.

We are officially the first PU foam manufacturer to set science-based emissions reduction targets, in line with the level of decarbonisation required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The aim of the targets is to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.

The SBTi’s Target Validation Team classified our scope 1 and 2 targets and has determined that we are in line with a 1.5°C trajectory, currently the most ambitious designation available through the SBTi process. We have also further committed to reducing absolute Scope 3 emissions by 13.5% by 2030 from a 2019 base year.

The Vita Group is also a ‘starred’ organisation, SBTi’s category for companies that are members of the Business Ambition for 1.5 campaign – an urgent call to action from a global coalition of UN agencies and business and industry leaders, in partnership with the Race to Zero.

The announcement builds upon the launch earlier this year of our first sustainability report, which detailed how as a business we have balanced commercial objectives with morally and ethically sound business practices. Over the last two years, we have reduced direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, with other successes including reducing waste sent to landfill down to just 2.01% and launching our first foam range made from raw materials extracted from end-of-life products.

These significant environmental achievements have been outlined in our Sustainability Report Enhancing Everyday Life. The sustainability strategy outlined in the report has been created in collaboration with Schneider Electric UK, a global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation.

Ian Robb, Group CEO, said: “Having our climate targets validated by the SBTi is the latest milestone on our sustainability journey, and is a very proud moment for our business. When we launched our sustainability report earlier this year it didn’t just outline what we’d done, but how we would not stop until we were able to reach our game-changing targets, such as sending zero manufacturing waste to landfill by 2040.

“Rapid and deep emission cuts are pivotal if we are to halve global emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero before 2050. Over the coming months, I look forward to speaking to our supply chain and customers about why they should join us in aligning with climate science by committing to science-based 1.5°C and net-zero targets too.”

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a global body enabling businesses to set ambitious emissions reduction targets in line with the latest climate science. It is focused on accelerating companies across the world to halve emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions before 2050.

The initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and is one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments. The SBTi defines and promotes best practices in science-based target setting, offers resources and guidance to reduce barriers to adoption, and independently assesses and approves companies’ targets.

Read more about our sustainable journey here.

About The Vita Group

The Vita Group is one of Europe’s leading flexible foam solutions providers. Built on 70 years of heritage, Vita develops, manufactures, and markets a wide range of value-added and differentiated flexible polyurethane foam, Talalay latex and flooring products.

Vita has three divisions – Comfort, Technical and Flooring – which cater for customers across a broad set of industries, including Bed-in-a-Box, mattresses and bedding, furniture, hygiene and medical, mobility, construction, and flooring, amongst others. The Company’s pan-European operating base is well-positioned to serve local, regional, and multi-national customers across Europe and provide innovative and value-added products and applications worldwide.

The Vita Group is proud to sit at the vanguard of innovation and sustainability and has been working to improve our sustainable practices for over 50 years. Our teams, working across our four dedicated innovation centres, work with academic, supply chain and customer partners to ensure we remain at the cutting edge of development. 2022 sees the launch of our first sustainability report, outlining our positioning and road map for achieving our sustainable goals. Vita has signed with the UN Global Compact, been awarded a silver Ecovadis rating, and is proud to be the first PU foam manufacturer to be validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

The Bed Show organised by National Bed Federation is the recognised trade association representing the bedding industry in the UK. With many critical people in the industry in attendance, The Bed Show remains the place to launch new products and innovations and offers an excellent opportunity to network and connect with new business contacts.

We will be at the event as an exhibitor where we present our range of sustainable foam. As a leading flexible foam supplier to diverse markets, The Vita Group takes its responsibility to the environment seriously. Our team of experts across the group work hard to develop sustainable products in collaborationyeezy-boost-adidas.com with raw material suppliers.

Speak with our experts and discover more about ourinplainsightgame.com sustainable foam solutions ideal for the bedding industry.

We look forward to seeing you at booth E70.

Register for a FREE trevien.net Visitor ticket for NBF 2022 here.

The Pledge signifies a collective effort to commit to a journey of continuous environmental improvement at both a company and product level. At The Vita Group, we are dedicated to working in the most circular way and to reducing our impact on the environment.

This is yet another step for The Vita Group on their sustainable journey and another commitment that shows the group’s dedication to working in a more sustainable and circular way.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) has launched an industry-wide “Pledge for Our Planet”, asking companies in the bed industry to take steps in unison that will address global environmental damage.

There is now overwhelming scientific evidence that our planet is warming at an unsustainable rate and the quality and quantity of natural habitats are in decline.

The Pledge signifies a collective effort to commit to a journey of continuous environmental improvement at both a company and product level. It has also been designed to future-proof the industry for upcoming legislation and market changes. It is hoped that the Pledge will receive signatories from all types of players on the market, regardless of their size or the current progress made on their sustainability journey. If required, the Pledge will be reviewed by the NBF in reaction to any legislation or market changes, as well as the reported progress made by the signatories.

Our Pledge says what our company is doing, in cooperation with others in the bed industry, to begin to reverse these environmental trends. We pledge that we will meet all core requirements (*) within two years of signing up and all advanced requirements (+) within five years. In addition, we will meet the progressive requirements (•) for carbon reduction within the 2030 and 2050 milestones outlined.

We will…

1. Demonstrate our commitment to becoming a more sustainable business by:
   – Establishing a business mission statement which shows our support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 (ensure sustainable consumption and production pattern) and 13 (take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts)
   – Measuring, recording and communicating our progress by publishing an annual environmental report
2. Reduce our global warming impact by:
   * Measuring the carbon emissions from our internal operations for which we are directly responsible and setting targets for year-on-year reduction (Scope 1 and 2)
   + Transparently disclosing our progress towards achieving carbon targets on a yearly basis
   + Measuring and reducing our indirect carbon emissions that occur in our value chain (Scope 3)
   • Halving our greenhouse gas emissions before 2030 in line with the UK SME Climate Hub’s commitment and the Net Zero standard by the Science Based Targets initiative (Scope 1, 2 and 3)
   • Reaching net zero by 2050 (i.e. reducing at least 90% of our greenhouse gas emissions from both our internal and external operations) in line with the UK SME Climate Hub’s commitment and the Net Zero standard by the Science Based Targets initiative (Scope 1, 2 and 3)
3. Reduce our waste by:
   * Developing record-keeping systems to measure the number, type and reasoning of any products returned to the business
   * Developing record-keeping systems to measure the segregation and treatment of our production wastes
   * Providing up-to-date guidance to customers on how to care for their products to prolong their lifespan and dispose of them responsibly at the end of their life.
   * Recommending and encouraging the use of RAMR recyclers
   + Setting targets and demonstrating yearly reductions of our product returns
   + Setting targets and demonstrating yearly reductions of our production wastes
   + Setting targets and demonstrating yearly improvements in the weight of waste reused, repurposed or recycled either in-house or by a 3rd party organisation
4. Reduce our products’ impact on the environment by:
   Following ecodesign principles as outlined in the ‘NBF Ecodesign Principles for the UK Bed Sector’:Manufacturers
   * Self-assessment of xx% of products to a minimum bronze level of ecodesign (NBF Ecolabel)
   + Self-assessment of x% of products to a minimum of silver level of ecodesign (NBF Ecolabel)
   + Third party verification of ecodesign claims (NBF Ecolabel)Suppliers
   * Improving the transparency of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) used in materials, with the goal of reducing (and eliminating) their use
   * Engaging in environmental audits or responding to data requests on our carbon footprint, targets and progress if requested by manufacturers (Scope 1, 2 and 3)
   + Adopting material certifications where viable
   + Developing more sustainable material options through innovation
5.  Take responsibility for our actions by:
   * Developing open channels of communication with our customers, suppliers, staff, local community and investors to continuously improve our environmental credentials.
   * Creating a log of stakeholder feedback and actions taken in response
   + Welcoming external auditing to support transparency of our environmental claims

At The Vita Group, we recognise our responsibility to maintain safe and proper chemical selection and usage, on behalf of our customers. We work to improve the chemical profile of our products and see it as an integral part of our service – we take care of the chemistry, so our customers don’t have to. Therefore we want to clarify to our employees and customers about the flame retardants used in foam furniture components, especially about what we do and don’t use in our products.

We do not use any TDCP or TCEP in our comfort foam products which go into sofas and beds. And beyond that we are actively using our advanced materials science and innovation skills to develop products that do not use these at all. In 2019 we introduced a range of Combustion Modified Ether (CME) foam products that have been formulated without TCPP – our ‘FRee’ foam range. The foams in this award-winning FRee foam range achieve the high standards of fire safety required by UK and Irish regulations, without compromising on technical performance or chemical safety, and we are proud to be the first UK company to offer these products to the furniture and bedding industry.

You can find out more about this product, which won the prestigious National Bed Federation Innovation of the Year Award for 2019/20, here.

For more information about FRee, please contact customerservices@thevitagroup.com

Recycling is an important element of this process, here we explain some elements.

1. We are committed to driving towards zero manufacturing waste to landfills at all of our Vita Comfort UK operating sites. Two of our larger sites at Middleton and Accrington in the UK, which are responsible for 22% of our output, already send zero manufacturing waste to landfills. This is achieved through employees sorting waste at separate Dry, Mixed Recycling (DMR) points and collections by a specialist in waste services.
2. 100% of excess foam is repurposed through our managed operations. Foam is manufactured in large blocks of approximately 2 metre x 2 metre x 1 metres (the exact size may vary for different products). This foam is sold to customers and conversion units and is destined for a number of products such as furniture, bedding, or technical products. During conversion (or cutting) some foam remains after parts have been cut from the block – this foam is called trim foam. Through CNC (computer numerical control) cutting techniques and careful materials management, the amount of trim foam created is kept to a minimum. We ensure its life does not end there. Every piece of trim is collected and processed to become material for another new product such as carpet underlay, or applications with specific needs that cannot be achieved with standard foam. Vita collects trim from its customers across Europe and enters this trim for re-processing.

We have two processes to create new material: rebond and regrind operations:

a. Novus – Rebond foam
Trim foam is collected from all Vita plants and shipped to the facility in Corby, UK. It is broken down and mixed with an isocyanate prepolymer. The mix is then moulded, pressed and injected with steam to create a foam block that can be converted into a range of new products.

b. Regrind
Vita has for several years used an innovative technology that pulverises foam by-products and incorporates this as a raw material at specific foaming sites in Germany and Lithuania. This process creates a raw material with a precisely defined grain size, meaning it can be added to flexible polyurethane foam to modify its structure and, as a result, final product characteristics darkwebsmarketss.com.

• In 2021, as part of its commitment to advancing a circular economy, Vita partnered with DOW and  Evonik to develop an efficient recycling process to convert flexible PU foams to the original polyol raw material.funkoars.com

The Vita Group is Europe’s leading flexible foam solutions provider. Built on over 70 years of heritage, Vita develops, manufactures, and markets a crossroadscopenhagen.com wide range of value-added and differentiated flexible polyurethane foam and Talalay latex products. For more information, please contact info@thevitagroup.com.