Media Release by A.H. Beard
In an exciting milestone for Australian manufacturing innovation, A.H. Beard, the Australian family-owned business with over 120 years’ experience crafting premium sleep products, has today announced the launch of A.H Beard Origins, Australia’s first truly sustainable and fully recyclable sleep range.
Tony Pearson, CEO, said: “We are proud to lead the way in developing Australia’s first truly circular sustainable sleep range. A.H. Beard has always been a driving force behind mattress recycling in Australia and we couldn’t rest until we had created Australia’s first truly sustainable and fully recyclable mattresses. Our hope is to inspire others to join us in creating mattresses that are as good for your sleep as they are for people and the planet.”
Pearson continued, “We want A.H. Beard to be much more than just a bedding manufacturer. We want to be a creator of community wellbeing and are committed to becoming the most sustainable and ethical business across all our operations. Our team is on a mission to educate the world on the benefits of premium sustainable sleep, and we take great pride and responsibility in growing and evolving our business in a healthy way to have a positive impact on our world.”
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY:
A.H. Beard Origins provides an innovative solution for Australians who want to contribute to a better future for the planet while enjoying the best sleep of their lives. Non-recyclable, one-size-fits-all, andimported mattresses currently make up 32% of the mattress market in Australia and contribute to over 1 million mattresses going to landfill every year. The range has long been a goal for the company to provide a high quality, hand-crafted, healthy and sustainable solution to this problem.
A.H. Beard has partnered with like-minded businesses who are committed to sustainable sources and practices and using Australian growers and suppliers wherever possible to support local jobs and communities. For example, the wool sourced for Origins mattresses comes from Australian farms such as Cloven Hills in Victoria, where sheep are farmed to the highest environmental and ethical standards.
A.H. Beard is part of the platform known as Recycle My Mattress which is administered by the Australian Bedding Stewardship Council (ABSC). This group of key industry stakeholders facilitates a collaborative approach to address environmentally and ethically sound solutions for recycling of both input materials and finished products at end-of-life. The ABSC acknowledges the pivotal contribution that the A.H Beard Origins is making to move towards a circular economy and a more sustainable future for the industry.
BUSINESS GROWTH:
The launch of the Origins range will play a significant role in A.H. Beard’s growth over the next five years domestically and internationally including significant increases to its export channel, predominantly in South East Asia, which will see an additional 48 A.H. Beard stores open. Whilst the business growth is important from an economically sustainable perspective, it is the growth of the local workforce that is the most significant for the business.
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING:
As a fifth-generation local manufacturer of premium sleep products, A.H. Beard is on a mission to highlight local craftsmanship and innovation as Australian’s are preferring high quality, premium products that are made locally. Each Origins mattress is hand-made in Australia by a team of highly skilled and experienced craftspeople, a process that cannot be automated. A.H. Beard will seek to bring back to Australia the local manufacturing of componentry so that the increased importing costs are avoided, and local skillsets are continuously developed.
INNOVATION:
A.H. Beard Origins mattresses are made using the finest locally sourced wool fibres, fabrics milled from organic cotton and Tencel® – a super soft fibre made from the pulp of sustainably grown eucalypts, and the world’s first 100% recyclable pocket spring support system. Each mattress is constructed without foam and glue, allowing it to be disassembled and the various components separated for recycling at end of life, so they can go on to live other useful lives?.
LOCAL EMPLOYMENT:
Commitment to local manufacturing is at the forefront of the A.H. Beard business. As many manufacturers turn their back on the high cost of local labour, A.H. Beard will continue to invest in the local labour force. With a current workforce of over 400 people, across six manufacturing facilities nationwide, A.H. Beard will embark on a skill-set development of its manufacturing employees due to the handmade nature of the Origins range which in-turn creates a more sustainable workforce.
The company expects workforce growth to be in line with its forecasted revenue growth due to the launch of the Origins range.
TACKLING THE SLEEP ECONOMY:
Underpinning A.H. Beard’s journey to a more sustainable future is their continued commitment to provide the highest quality, handcrafted mattresses for a healthy and restorative sleep. As they expand globally, they will continue their mission to educate the world on the importance of healthy and sustainable sleep.
In the 2017 Sleep Health Foundation Report, the combined direct and indirect costs of inadequate sleep to the Australian economy was estimated at a staggering $66 billion per annum. Australia remains at the international forefront for its impact on the sleep health landscape and A.H. Beard is committed to help solve this issue by educating people on the importance of sleep and building high quality products that will help you sleep better.
