Kind on pressure injuries and the environment
A sustainable foam mattress that generates less emissions and provides excellent pressure care sounds like a dream product – and thanks to Funke Medical in Germany, Aged Care clients in New Zealand can now sleep very easy indeed.
Cubro is proud to stock two of Funke’s eco-friendly mattresses which are producing better outcomes for people and our environment.
The Greenline Hyper-Foam Mattress has been clinically-tested to provide pressure relief for up to Stage 4 pressure injuries but is made of ECOLAST® foam rather than traditional foam. ECOLAST® (which is made exclusively for Funke in Germany) takes approximately 22% less CO₂ to produce than a conventional decubitus therapy mattress.
Meanwhile, Funke’s Hyper AIR hybrid air cell mattress also features a top layer of ECOLAST® foam, and has eight adjustable air cells for ideal comfort. It comes in single and king single sizes, while the Greenline Hyper-Foam Mattress comes in single and super single.
Funke Medical’s Global Sales Director, Helmut Wessels, says the company has a long-standing and inspiring connection with their foam manufacturer, with whom they have regular quality and development discussions. Manufacturing one kilo of traditional foam produces about 3kg of CO₂ emissions. But mattresses featuring ECOLAST® foam weigh just 8.6kg in total (compared to the standard 11kg), therefore generate substantially less carbon emissions.
“ECOLAST® foam is slightly lighter, has higher strength and better elongation at break. In short, the overall quality has improved significantly at the same cost. So it’s a great solution from both an ecological and economic point of view.”
ECOLAST® foam has a more open cell structure to ensure improved air circulation, creating an optimal microclimate. It also has excellent pressure-relief properties, making it a good option for aged care facilities worldwide. Funke currently exports to specialised medical trade organisations in 30 different countries, including Cubro here in New Zealand.
Funke Medical is one of Germany's leading manufacturers of decubitus therapy systems and began investing in sustainable solutions in 2012. They installed solar energy panels on the roof of their manufacturing plant in Raesfeld, Germany, and generate 250,000 kWh of electricity – covering 65% of their annual power bill and saving 130 tonnes of CO₂ from being emitted into the atmosphere.
"We consistently integrate the topic of sustainability into our product development and use as little raw materials and streamline our processes as much as possible. Our driving force has always been to take care of the environment but the cost savings are also good.”
“Not only do we heat our industrial halls with geothermal energy and generate electricity with solar panels, increasingly we do without film in packaging on our wheelchair cushions,” Helmut says.
Funke’s seat cushion cartons are now made of paper that come from responsible forestry plantations. A fresh seal is applied to each carton instead of additional film, saving six tonnes of foil packaging each year.
“We have been able to achieve significant reductions in foil packaging and replace it with cardboard, which is much more environmentally friendly,” Helmut says. “The cardboard boxes are purchased from recycled material without colour printing. We want to preserve our natural resources with all these energy-saving measures in order to live up to our environmental responsibility.”
Cubro Aged Care Key Account Manager Ashely Currie, explains how partnering with sustainably forward manufactures like Funke, is helping us realise our goals. “We set out on our sustainability journey a few years ago now, and we’re excited about partnering with reputable suppliers such as Funke Medical who are investing in better environmental solutions.”
As part of our sustainability strategy, we committed to taking proactive steps to identify more sustainable ways of doing business throughout our entire supply chain. We actively look at ways we can reduce our own impact on the environment, and are focussed on responsibly sourcing products, improving product lifecycles, reducing waste, and increasing industry education.
Of course, we as a company cannot improve the whole world on our own. But each and every company can make a huge difference.”
Helmut at Funke Medical is pointed in his summary of what needs to be done. “We’re running out of time. That was, and is, enough driving force for us to think anew every day about where and how we can get better. We are convinced that if everyone puts their heart and soul into it every day, we will get better much faster, and that’s more than important. Of course, we as a company cannot improve the whole world on our own. But each and every company can make a huge difference.”
