by AVONDALE, Ariz. — King Koil, a global leader in the manufacture of quality mattress products, continues to deepen its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts with the successful implementation of a set of sustainability initiatives designed to make the company more sensitive to its impact on the environment and its resources.
“Our sustainability goals and overall ESG initiatives are of great importance to our board of directors, especially as we continue to examine our impact, and that of our industry, on the environment,” said David Binke, King Koil’s CEO. “King Koil is known for innovation and forward thinking, and under the guidance of our Senior Vice President of Operations Don Pflug, limiting our environmental footprint is becoming more and more part of our corporate culture.”
According to Pflug, the company’s ESG plan currently encompasses 15 key performance indicators (KPIs), with five focusing directly on sustainability and limiting the company’s environmental footprint. The five include: an overall reduction in the use of plastic and cardboard (30 percent to date), the use of reusable resin pallets instead of wood which are typically damaged and destroyed in their first use (30 wood pallet reduction per month), recycling foam materials from the production process (10 percent current reduction), implementing more efficient electrical use in its facilities, and establishing a supplier sustainability checklist that encourages partners to join in King Koil’s commitment to sustainability.
With these important sustainability KPIs already showing positive results, since being implemented in 2022, Pflug indicated King Koil intends to expand its KPIs in 2024 and look for new and innovative approaches to product development, production, and operations to further improve the company’s environmental stewardship.
“The road to sustainability is more about the journey and less about the destination. While we are just starting to scratch the surface on sustainability, we see it becoming more and more part of our daily lives as a company and in the manufacture of our products,” said Pflug. “Being good stewards of the planet, over the long-haul, starts with a careful look at the full lifecycle of a product – from product development through manufacturing and on to final disposal. We are taking our impact on the environment seriously and have made these efforts part of our employee education and the concepts are becoming more and more ingrained in King Koil’s culture.”
Ultimately, King Koil looks to set the pace in sustainability practices and work closely with retail partners to design efforts that work for everyone across the production and sales continuum. King Koil first embraced sustainability when it looked to replace synthetic components with sustainable raw materials like 100 percent natural latex, cotton, and wool, as well as recycled fabrics and bio-based foams. Additionally, with the company’s partnerships in Europe, they have been inspired to do more and push further as the industry there is significantly ahead of the United States in their sustainable approaches.
