Leading bed industry innovators and British family-owned bed manufacturer, Hypnos Contract Beds, is continuing to invest in its sustainability team with the appointment of Gary Mitchell in the newly created role of Sustainable Development Manager.

Gary, who has 20 years of experience in the bed industry, will work alongside Hypnos’ Sustainable Development Director, Richard Naylor, to drive the brand forward in its sustainability journey. They will work together to further accelerate transparency, integrity and responsible innovation, as the brand embarks on another pioneering decade of action, to go beyond carbon neutrality and ensure that the wellbeing of consumers, its hospitality partners and the planet remains at the centre of the business.

Richard and Gary will continue to create a resilient and ethical supply chain, by closely collaborating with Hypnos’ certification partners to source traceable materials. By working with these partners, which include Red Tractor, The Woolkeepers®, the Better Cotton Initiative, CottonConnect and the Global Recycled Standard, they will fortify Hypnos’ commitment to being at the forefront of responsible sourcing and bed making.

Gary comments: “Hypnos was the first carbon neutral bed maker in the world and has been carbon neutral for over a decade, so I’m excited to be joining a team that is such a pioneer of sustainable sleep innovation.

“I’m looking forward to helping the business go beyond reducing its carbon footprint and neutralising our impact on the planet, to actively helping to regenerate it. With commitments to achieving Net Zero, building progressive social practices and a focus on utilising natural and traceable materials, derived from regenerative farming practices, it really is an exciting time.

“I will also be focusing on supporting hoteliers and the hospitality industry in their efforts to create a greener future for travel without having to compromise on style and quality, by continuing to champion sustainable, ethically sourced British materials and providing them with robust sustainable beds that will appeal to consumers whose environmental principles are increasingly driving their booking decisions.”

Richard Naylor comments: “Our sustainability and planet first approach has been at the heart of Hypnos for over a decade and we are delighted to welcome Gary to our team and the Hypnos Family to support us in taking the next steps in our purpose-led journey to inspire everyone to sleep sustainably.

“I am confident that Gary’s experience and knowledge will prove a real asset as we deepen our working relationships with our hospitality partners, suppliers, compliance and certification partners, as well as the Planet Mark, our sustainability certification partner, to help us evolve from a linear to circular approach to sustainable bed making.

“With the launch of our partnership with the Eden Project and our liked-minded approach to local community support, sustainable living education, conservation and plant-based product design, we couldn’t be happier to have Gary on board.”

In addition to being the only bed manufacturer to have held the prestigious PAS 2060 Carbon Neutrality standard since 2011, Hypnos has offset a total of 10,294 tonnes of CO2e, including 744 tonnes in 2020/21 alone. This has been achieved via a variety of Gold Standard certified climate projects including planting trees in both the UK and the Amazon Rainforest as well as helping to repair boreholes to provide access to clean water for communities in Sierra Leone and Uganda. Hypnos also donates part of its profits to its national charity partner and to local community-based charities as part of its force for good and social purpose strategy.

Over the last 10 years Hypnos has also pioneered the development of 100% recyclable beds, sugarcane-based packaging and use of a sustainable fibre made from recycled plastic bottles, that to date have stopped the equivalent of over 290 million bottles going into landfill or our oceans.