Our History
Re-mat is a Texas nonprofit social enterprise founded in 2017 to address the needs of Texas cities struggling to find sustainable solutions for disposed mattresses. We have strong ties with the Waste Management and Recycling divisions of San Antonio and Austin and are proud members of the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling. Re-Mat also works closely with several regional organizations involved in product stewardship, resources conservation, and landfill diversion. Our work has been featured in the Rivard Report and Grow Ensemble.
Recently, Austin Community Foundation welcomed Re-Mat to the Foundation’s community of givers. Austin Community Foundation offers Fiscal Sponsorship and technical support to select projects that help further their mission to make Austin a better place for everyone. Fiscal Sponsorship allows a charitable venture to operate under the umbrella of Austin Community Foundation’s legal and tax status. This partnership allows projects to get underway and leverage the Foundation’s infrastructure, team, and technical assistance to support their efforts.
Our Values
We see opportunity in waste streams to employ and empower our fellow man while improving the environment. We offer everyone a clean slate, and help them pursue a better life. We see beyond the mask, knowing there’s always more beneath the surface. We love our planet and want to preserve its beauty. We ignite social entrepreneurship and spark sustainability.
Serving The Environment
We will divert mattresses from local waste stream by recycling roughly 80% of each piece, by weight. Our staff will hand-cut the mattresses and recycle the steel, foam, wood, coverings, and cotton. These valuable resources will be delivered to our downstream vendors for reuse.
Empowering Disenfranchised Adults
Re-Mat will employ the disenfranchised and those with barriers to employment. We will give employees an opportunity to re-establish themselves and strengthen their path to prosperity. We will begin by employing 2-3 full time employees (FTE) and project needing 5-7 FTE by the end of our first year. A mature operation could employ close to 20 FTE.
Eco-Friendly Dog Beds
In 2020, Re-Mat began producing Eco-Friendly dog beds from recycled memory foam mattresses. We currently donate many to local pet shelters. Each bed is handmade in San Antonio, TX and helps keep mattresses out of local landfills. We use only the best foam from recycled mattresses and each piece is sanitized to kill any pest. These one of a kind beds move pretty quickly, and our friends love them. We’re working with a small team to scale the production of 100% recycled pet beds. You can see the project page here. We plan to launch on kickstarter soon and would love your support!
The Recycling Process
Bellow is a glimpse into how inner spring mattresses are deconstructed and recycled. Once operation, our staff will perform this same work on a massive scale. Big thanks to Mitch and the team at Local Sprout for letting us use their warehouse space to record this video.
Video: Recorded by The Rivard Report – Music: “Alinda West” by Yan Terrien