“Take 5” Flashback – Spinks Talks Sustainability

As we buy Daytimers and plan for the new year, be sure to pencil in the 2024 ISPA Sustainability Conference. BedTimes managing editor Waynette Goodson flashes back to the September conference and chats with Darren Marcangelo, managing director at Spinks, about how sustainability and end-of-life factor into the company’s product design. U.K.-based Spinks is known for its sustainable pocket springs.

Transcript

Waynette Goodson
It’s Waynette Goodson. I’m your managing editor of BedTimes and Sleep Savvy magazines and am here at the ISPA Sustainability Conference with Darren Marcangelo. He’s the managing director of Spinks. And Darren, you have come all the way across the pond just to attend this conference. First of all, I’d like to thank you, and then I’d like to ask you why.

Why is this important to you? Why are you here?

Darren Marcangelo
Yeah. No. And for us, it’s a pleasure to be here. We came to the conference last November, and we found it very enjoyable to find out where the US market is. And it’s something that we’re very passionate about sustainability in our organization. We want to try and sort of help the industry as a whole because I believe it’s not just one company that has all of the answers or the solutions, but as an industry as a whole, we can work together to come up with.

Waynette Goodson
It’s a team effort.

Darren Marcangelo
Very much.

Waynette Goodson
So. How do innovation and new technologies to meet sustainability challenges factor into your company’s sustainability strategy? So innovation and new technology.

Darren Marcangelo
So we see ourselves very much as an innovative company. We always like to try and bring out new products where we can, and sustainability goes right into the early product development stage. So we’re thinking about the raw materials that go in and, obviously, the traceability of those raw materials because it is important to know the source. Therefore, the end of life is also another factor that we try to bring into our new products.

So, making sure that it can be easy to recycle and disassemble is an important factor.

Waynette Goodson
Right. So basically, you’re saying that from the start, you’re designing for sustainability; you’re designing for that product to be dismantled with that in mind.

Darren Marcangelo
And that’s something that I mean; the more people can do that, the better it will be to make a more sustainable product, an industry, because it will make it easier for the recyclers.

Waynette Goodson
Okay. And then your last important question. So, how do sustainability and end-of-life considerations factor into your product design process? You just touched on that a little bit, but can you be more specific? Can you give us an example?

Darren Marcangelo
Yeah, I suppose the fact is we have three phases of the sustainability process within the company, and it’s very much about being responsible, about being transparent, about being ethical. And I think the responsibility is to ensure you’ve got all the stakeholders involved, both indirectly and directly, within your business. Working with those suppliers is very, very important.

And then obviously, the transparency and traceability come in again with what you do, but also with what your suppliers do. And then, most importantly, the ethical side is about the people and, obviously, the social aspect, which does play a big part in it.

Waynette Goodson
Right, Because consumers are asking for this now. So it’s very important. Well, Darren, thank you so much for being here with us today. And thank you all for tuning in. And, as always, get a great night’s sleep.