Bed industry innovators and British family-owned bed manufacturer, Hypnos, has been awarded The Sustainability Award by the National Bed Federation at an awards ceremony last night, for its outstanding commitment to sustainable design and sustainable business operation for more than a decade.

The pioneering heritage brand is renowned in the industry for its passion and dedication to sustainability and to sustainable sleep, which runs through every part of the purpose-led, ethical business. This passion was recognised by a panel of prestigious National Bed Federation judges, made up of David Fitzsimons, director of Oakdene Hollins and the European Remanufacturing Council, Amy Peace of Innovate UK and Professor Martin Charter of the University for the Creative Arts.

With an ongoing commitment to create comfort with integrity, the judges were blown away by the way Hypnos placed sustainability at the heart of every aspect of the business. This included product design, end of life management of its products and the responsible procurement process and traceable materials used to create its ethical beds. It also included its wider approach to responsible innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, such as a new charity and natural-world partnership with the Eden Project, as well as the processes and way the overall business operates, including its approach to zero waste, energy reduction and a decade of being carbon neutral. It was clear to the judges that sustainability is the lifeblood of Hypnos Contract Bedswith the award-winner exceeding all the entry criteria for the accolade.

The judges were also impressed by Hypnos' ongoing sustainability journey and efforts to minimise its environmental impact by using only the most ethically sourced materials and sustainable manufacturing methods. As a result of this commitment, Hypnos Contract Bedswas the first carbon neutral bed maker in the world and has held this prestigious title for ten years, having offset 9,550 tonnes of CO2 in that time and 802 tonnes in 2019/2020 alone.

The ethically minded bed maker and sustainable sleep brand also spent 18 months developing 100% recyclable packaging, made from a combination of renewable and carbon dioxide depleting sugar cane ethanol and recycled plastic. Through this Hypnos has reduced their carbon footprint by almost four times the industry norm. In a bid to encourage others in the industry to be more sustainable they decided not to patent or trademark it so other companies can make the switch from single use plastic to this 100 per cent recyclable packaging instead.

James Keen, Chief Executive of Hypnos, said: “We’re pioneers for sustainable change so we’re always looking at ways we can improve or enhance the ethical way in which we operate. Receiving this award recognises this commitment and means so much to everyone in the business. We’re all incredibly passionate about being sustainable and this award is testament to the dedication of every employee in the business who works extremely hard to ensure that every bed we produce meets our exacting ethical standards.

“The last 12 months has seen Hypnos achieve the prestigious ‘The Planet Mark – Carbon Neutral Certification’, the Global Recycling Standard and a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development for its commitment to environmentally-friendly design, sourcing transparency and ethical bed-making. We’re incredibly proud to be able to add the NBF Sustainable Award to this list of achievements and we don’t plan on slowing down any time soon. Going forward, we plan to pursue our sustainability and net zero journey by continuing to reflect on our business and developing new and innovative ways that can help the environment. We will remain industry leaders for sustainability, providing ethical solutions at each stage of bed production and how our business operates.”

Hypnos' commitment to the environment also extends to the partners it works with and the judges were impressed with how Hypnos works with other likeminded companies to responsibly source materials, and ensure they are not only high quality but traceable to their origins, traded fairly and from suppliers and farmers that care about the health of soil and animals. Indeed, Hypnos works in partnership with the likes of the Better Cotton Initiative and CottonConnect to source ethical cotton and works with Red Tractor, The Woolkeepers™ and even Waitrose farmers to source traceable and ethical British wool.