Inside LOOP-it: Interview with Managing Director Michael Bednarek

LOOP-it is Austria's first mattress recycling company and was founded jointly by NEVEON and BRANTNER green solutions. What was the decisive impetus for founding this joint venture?

The obvious answer would be: we wanted to get into the recycling business. But it's about much more than that – namely, securing NEVEON's core business. Through direct access to secondary raw materials, we are anticipating legal changes and thus ensuring security of supply at an early stage. At the same time, we are opening ourselves up to future markets such as chemical recycling.

What exactly do you mean by legal changes and security of supply?

Through our involvement in the Austrian Mattress Alliance (ÖMA), we are informed about relevant legal developments at an early stage. It is quite possible that certain products in our portfolio will have to contain a mandatory proportion of recycled materials in the future and/or be subject to take-back obligations at the end of their life cycle.

With regard to security of supply, there is also still the possibility of CO₂ taxation being extended to other industries. According to initial internal calculations, the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials reduces emissions in certain base material products by up to 80 percent.

Where do you see the biggest hurdles today in creating a circular economy for mattresses?

Mattresses are currently classified as bulky waste – they are not collected separately. However, for recycling to work, they must be sorted by type and, above all, collected dry. This infrastructure is currently lacking in Austria. That is why we are working specifically with waste management associations and waste collection centers to create precisely these conditions.
In addition, regulatory requirements make the cross-border transport of recycled materials and waste more difficult. However, with the EU's Circular Economy Act and the Internal Market Strategy for Secondary Raw Materials, positive developments are emerging that will open up new opportunities for us in the future.

How does LOOP-it's mattress recycling process work, explained simply?

LOOP-it has developed a highly automated system that dismantles mattresses efficiently and precisely. Artificial intelligence is used right at the start of the process to identify the type of material and composition of each mattress. This means we know exactly which raw materials are contained in each mattress at all times – and can process them in a targeted manner.

What milestones have been achieved since the company was founded?

Since the company was officially founded in February 2025, we have already made many great strides forward. I took over as managing director in August. We have established structures and finalized the plant concept. The LOOP-it site has now been modernized and opened in mid-September.

If you can tell us, what are the next steps for LOOP-it?

LOOP-it is currently in the start-up phase – as a start-up within two established corporations. That's why all the steps we're taking in the short term are consistently focused on two central goals: securing the supply chain and increasing production efficiency.

What are your hopes for the future of LOOP-it?

I hope that LOOP-it will be both economically and ecologically successful – and thus demonstrate that circular economy is not only possible, but also economically viable. LOOP-it should serve as a positive example for companies that are still hesitant to implement circular business models.