Review: A Green Perspective on a Simba Refurbished Mattress

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As an eco-conscious person, when it comes to sourcing homeware items I will often turn to secondhand as my first port of call. There is always somebody out there getting rid of something they no longer need or use and their castoffs can quickly become another person’s gems. But what about those household items that need to meet hygiene standards, items such as mattresses? Well, this is one of those occasions where I would usually advise you to buy brand new. Of course, purchasing new doesn’t need to mean unsustainable, there are plenty of companies out there doing all they can to improve and excel in their sustainability measures one of which is Simba. However, you can now also buy refurbished products from Simba meaning you get that new feel with a used/returned product that is better for the environment and your wallet too. This service really caught my attention and I am going to give you my green perspective on it all in this review…

About Simba

Once a thread business supplying materials to a mattress company in Derbyshire, in 2002 Simba decided to take the leap and create their own mattresses with a difference – a high-tech affordable mattress that can adapt to your body for exceptional support. Coming up with a unique way of using both foam and springs together, Simba developed the mattress they had long imagined. And then they decided to take it that little bit further; they came up with their own foam creation called Simbatex foam. An ‘open cell’ foam, that allows thirty times the airflow of regular memory foam. On top of that, their sleep scientists infused this foam with a naturally occurring mineral called graphite that draws heat away from your body providing you with the best night’s sleep you could ask for. Sounds great, right? Well, there’s more…

Sustainability

(My favourite part) Let’s kickstart the sustainability section with the fact Simba is the UK’s first B Corp™ sleep brand. This accreditation is only awarded to select businesses that promote both social and environmental change. B Corp puts companies through a rigorous process that looks at all aspects of a business, from a deep dive into the supply chain to reviewing their approach to ethical product innovation. A brand needs to score 80 or more to pass the B Corp assessment and Simba achieved an impressive 97.5!

Simba are committed to:

Cutting their carbon emissions:

They aim to reach Net Zero by 2030 by investing in projects that absorb emissions rather than simply offset them. But for now they say…

“we’ve made a start by investing in reforestation and biodiversity projects (in Peru, Brazil and the UK) that offset the emissions we produce from our outbound logistics and business operations, and as a result all our emissions from deliveries, employee commuting and business travel are now carbon neutral”

Reducing waste:

Simba have made sure that every component of their mattresses can be recycled, including the foam comfort layers and the tiny Aerocoil springs. Any leftover foam is repurposed into other things like dog beds or carpet underlay plus they offer this mattress refurbishing service we are discussing today.

Recycling:

It’s estimated that as much as 76% of discarded mattresses end up in landfill every single year; that’s roughly the equivalent of 14,000 double-decker buses!! This is precisely why Simba have launched a nationwide, state-of-the-art mattress recycling service. It doesn’t matter what brand you have previously used or what size it is, for a small fee they will collect your old mattress and make sure that it is properly recycled, ensuring that over 80% of components are reused or repurposed.

Sourcing environmentally responsible materials:

On this topic Simba says: “so far we’ve removed as many pollutants as we can from our foam, we use sustainable wood, our textiles are OEKO-TEX certified (a safeguard against harmful substances), and we’re using more recycled materials (even plastic bottles) in our packaging and products. We’re also part of the Better Cotton movement (BCI), which works to reduce the environmental impact of cotton production”

Their work still continues in this area as they are looking into sourcing FSC-certified wood, swapping even more new materials for recycled ones, and they are developing new, responsible foam technologies.

UK Made:

A UK brand at heart and that continues to this day.  Simba mattresses are crafted in Manchester, with the titanium micro springs coming from Leeds, the airy foam layers being from Middleton and the soft wool layers from Yorkshire.

The Refurbished Mattress Service

The mattress refurbishing side of the company is one of the newest ways in which Simba are trying their hardest to reduce waste. All returned products are fully inspected and tested in terms of look and use. Any component that fails this inspection is replaced with authentic Simba parts and once it is in full working order, the mattress is deep cleaned, washed or sanitised to hospital standards, and ready to be re-sold at a lower price. They also provide this service for pillows, duvets, beddings, mattress toppers and bed bases. How amazing is that?! Oh, and they all come with a 1 year guarantee as well as 30 day sleep trial.

Simba Refurbished Mattress Review

We were sent a Hybrid Luxe single refurbished mattress to test, review and provide our honest opinions on. This is, in fact, one of the most advanced and luxurious mattresses within their range. Not only does it include all of their standard mattress technology designs as stated above but it also has a breathable, bamboo-infused wool layer which provides both temperature and moisture control. Altogether, this mattress actually has 11 layers of patented technology. I am slightly jealous that my son gets to sleep on this!

Now, I have to add here that we are already big fans of Simba. We have a double mattress from their range for our bed and my youngest son has had his single Simba mattress for the last 3 years so it seemed only right that my eldest now joined the Simba gang.

Delivery

Delivery was fast and very easy to track on the day meaning I could keep a close eye on the timings and make sure I was home. The Simba mattresses always come vacuum packed to protect them, to keep packaging reduced and to save space both in transit and inside your home. It is advised to open your mattress and leave it for at least 3 hours to regain its shape. We left ours overnight just to ensure it was fully expanded.

First Impressions

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a refurbished mattress but I was really surprised when I opened it and was hit by that new mattress smell. It looked brand new, no marks, no issues, you’d never have known that it had undergone some mattress surgery and a deep clean to get it back to its best.

Oh, I also have to mention the large easy-to-grasp handles on the side of the mattress. They made it so much easier to manoeuvre…

Comfort

As with all Simba mattresses, the comfort factor is obvious as soon as you lay down on it. My son has been sleeping on a 7 year old spring mattress and even with a topper he has really been struggling to get comfortable of late, so much so we can often hear him tossing and turning on it (a big indicator that he needed a new one). As soon as he laid on his new Simba refurbished mattress he could not believe the difference. Just take a look at the side view for a comparison:

Old Mattress

New Simba Refurbished mattress

You can certainly see where those 11 layers of comfort come into play.

Sleep Test

Night one took a little while for him to settle, he was just so used to sinking into springs that having this firm yet cushioning bed felt extremely different. Once he dozed off he had a perfect night’s sleep and the second night he was out like a light! Since then he has gone off so much quicker than we’ve previously been dealing with, he is waking feeling much more refreshed and, after a week of use, he has reported that he’s no longer aching!

Overall Thoughts of a Refurbished Mattress

Would I recommend a refurbished mattress? Yes, I definitely would. What’s not to love? A fantastic product that is helping to reduce waste, save people money and from a company that is passionate about sustainability and its impact on the environment. This mattress should last him well into his teens, perhaps even into adulthood (with the right care). It gets a big green thumbs up from me!

*I received the Simba refurbished mattress in exchange for a review. As always all views are honest and my own. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.

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