The Furniture Recycling Group

What The Furniture Recycling Group does

The Furniture Recycling Group (TFR Group) is a UK-based commercial mattress recycling and circular-economy services company headquartered in Blackburn, Lancashire, founded by Nick Oettinger in December 2010 (originally as EOL Recycling). The company dismantles end-of-life mattresses into up to 19 component parts — including steel, cotton, polyester, foam, and textiles — achieving a 90%+ recycling rate with a 100% landfill-diverted guarantee, and has cumulatively processed more than 4 million mattresses representing roughly 8.17% of UK mattress waste (167,000 tonnes sent to UK landfill annually). Its technology stack is anchored by world-first patented machinery: an automated pocket spring recycling machine (2016) that processes a unit in 2.5 minutes versus half-day manual deconstruction, an automated mattress dismantling machine (2022) that reduces stripping time by 70%, a patented mattress compression system (2022) that boosts per-trailer capacity by 572% (450 mattresses per 40ft trailer versus an industry average of 67), and an in-house sanitisation system using biocide fog, peracetic acid, and UV sterilisation compliant with BS1425:1991 and NHS hygiene standards. Operations span four facilities across Lancashire (Blackburn HQ, Bolton, Preston, and a Blackburn rejuvenation centre) with a nationwide logistics partner network.

Name

The Furniture Recycling Group

Legal name

The Furniture Recycling Group Ltd

Website

https://tfrgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

TFR Group is the UK's leading commercial mattress recycling and circular-economy specialist, providing recycling, rejuvenation, recommerce, and logistics services to major mattress retailers, waste-management companies, local authorities, and hospitality clients across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mattress Recycling Services

NAICS

Reupholstery and Furniture Repair (81142), Reupholstery and Furniture Repair (811420)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Retail-Furniture Stores (5712)

akta.pro primary industry

Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Materials Recovery (Carpet, Mattresses, Bulky Items) (EUAIADAL), Appliance & Furniture Removal (HSAKALAG), Secondhand & Consignment Furniture Retail (CRAIANAA)

Keywords

• Mattress recycling services
• Circular economy solutions
• Mattress refurbishment services
• Bulky waste logistics
• Retail sustainability services

Headquarters

HQ city

Blackburn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Mattress Recycling Services: B2B commercial mattress recycling services for businesses and local authorities across the UK. Mattresses are dismantled into 19 component parts and materials are recycled with over 90% recycling rate achieved.
2. Mattress Rejuvenation Services: Refurbishment service for returned comfort guarantee mattresses. Retailers receive rejuvenated mattresses back for resale, recouping losses from returns. Process includes 22-point inspection, sanitisation, and quality assurance.
3. Mattress Recommerce: Redistributing fully rejuvenated mattresses back into the consumer market on behalf of clients via secondary sales platforms. TFR Group markets and sells mattresses on behalf of clients, handling home delivery and collection of buyer's old mattress.
4. Bulk Haulage Logistics: Nationwide bulk haulage solutions through network of logistics partners. Includes collection via appropriate vehicle sizes and backhaul routes. Patented compression system available for installation at customer sites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Furniture Recycling Group (TFR Group) is a UK circular economy company that collects, recycles, reconditions (rejuvenates), and resells (recommerce) end-of-life mattresses on behalf of business customers. It operates nationwide bulk haulage logistics, dismantles mattresses into 19 component parts for material recovery, refurbishes returned mattresses to near-new condition, and redistributes refurbished units via secondary channels.

Product overview

TFR Group operates as an integrated circular economy platform offering four core services: Logistics (B2B bulk haulage with patented compression technology), Mattress Recycling (achieving over 90% recycling rate with 100% landfill diversion), Rejuvenation (mattress refurbishment with 22-point inspection and hospital-grade sanitisation), and Recommerce (secondary market sales of refurbished mattresses). Their proprietary technology portfolio includes world-first patented Automated Pocket Spring Recycling Machine, Mattress Compression System, and Automated Mattress Dismantling Machine, complemented by bespoke data tracking and sanitisation systems. A sister brand, The Mattress Recycling People, handles B2C home collection services. The company processes approximately 12,000 mattresses per week across UK facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Logistics Nationwide B2B bulk haulage solutions for mattress collection using a network of logistics partners, with appropriate vehicle sizing, backhaul routing, and an optional patented compression system for installation at customer sites to maximise vehicle capacity.
• Mattress Recycling Commercial mattress dismantling and recycling service for businesses and local authorities across the UK, breaking mattresses into 19 component parts and achieving over 90% recycling rate with a 100% landfill diversion guarantee.
• Mattress Rejuvenation Refurbishment service for retailers' comfort-guarantee returns, restoring mattresses to nearly-new condition through a 22-point inspection, bespoke sanitisation (biocide fog, atomised peracetic acid, UV sterilisation), and full audit trail to enable resale.
• Recommerce Turnkey secondary-market service that lists, markets, delivers, and re-collects buyers' old mattresses for clients' refurbished stock, helping retailers recoup revenue lost to returns.
• Circular Economy Service Model Integrated offering that combines logistics, recycling, rejuvenation, and recommerce into a single end-to-end mattress lifecycle service for enterprise customers, with full audit trail and sustainability reporting.
• The Mattress Recycling People B2C home collection sister brand providing direct-to-consumer mattress recycling collection, available as a white-label offering for retail clients to collect from their own customers under their own branding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 million mattresses recycled since inception, diverting tens of thousands of tonnes from landfill
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CHC WastecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023CHC Waste partnered with TFR Group in February 2023 for mattress recycling services following challenges with previous partners including lack of communication and inconsistent reporting. 11,212 mattresses recycled with 93-98% recycling rate and 402 tonnes of materials diverted from landfill.
• Land of BedscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership since 2023 for mattress recycling services, expanded to include rejuvenation services. Transforming comfort guarantee returned mattresses into 'second life' products through rigorous quality assurance and NHS-standard sanitisation. Successfully recycled hundreds of mattresses with plans to continue supporting sustainability initiatives.
• SUEZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUEZ partnered with TFR Group to remove mattresses from their waste stream following issues with shredders and metal content causing equipment blockages and damage. Partnership has recycled over 277,000 mattresses, diverting waste from landfill in Greater Manchester region and creating over 25 new jobs.
• eve sleepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since early 2020 for removal, rejuvenation and recycling of mattresses. Includes strategic advice and support on sustainable initiatives. 82% rejuvenation rate achieved with 100% of mattresses diverted from landfill. Partnership supports eve sleep's FSC certification goals.
• University of St AndrewsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnered with TFR Group to sustainably dispose of 6.2 tonnes of waste mattresses and bedding generated annually from student halls. Over 2,000 mattresses, duvets and pillows donated by students and recycled. Supports University's target of achieving zero waste to landfill.
• John LewiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK retail giant John Lewis partners with TFR Group for responsible mattress recycling as part of mattress replacement and removal service. Collected and recycled approximately 58,000 mattresses in 2016 alone, diverting over 1,500 tonnes of waste from landfill. Partnership continues to expand.
• Simba MattresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since September 2018 for mattress recycling. Expanded to include rejuvenation services for comfort guarantee returns. Over 63,000 old mattresses recycled. 132,000+ mattresses assessed with over 75% rejuvenated. Partnership provides complete transparency in both recycling and rejuvenation services.
• Bensons For BedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBensons For Beds partnered with TFR Group for sustainable mattress disposal and rejuvenation. Over 6,000 mattresses recycled or rejuvenated with nearly 1,000 tonnes of CO2 saved. In 2023, recycled 1,343 mattresses and rejuvenated 4,676 mattresses. Partnership enables 40 Night Comfort Guarantee program.
• Prestige BedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrestige Beds partnered with TFR Group 18 months ago for mattress recycling and rejuvenation services. Over 2,000 mattresses recycled by January 2025 with significant CO2 emission savings. Rejuvenation service enables sleep trials with confidence knowing returned mattresses can be refurbished to mint condition.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RetourMatras Group: Dutch mattress recycling specialist operating circular-economy take-back, dismantling, and material recovery operations. Direct competitor in mattress recycling and strategic investor in TFR Group, sharing technology and capacity-expansion playbooks.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia UK: Global environmental services and waste management operator with significant UK presence across recycling, bulky waste, and circular economy services. Operates the same end markets as TFR Group (local authorities, retailers, hospitality) at much larger scale with broader service portfolios.
• SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK: Major UK waste management operator with municipal, commercial, and recycling services. Already a TFR Group customer for mattress recycling (Greater Manchester contract), it represents the broad-incumbent channel partner and potential competitor if SUEZ scales in-house mattress capabilities.
• Renewi plc: Dutch-headquartered waste-to-product company with significant UK municipal and commercial recycling operations, including bulky waste handling. Comparable to TFR Group at the circular-economy / materials recovery layer but with much broader portfolio across multiple waste streams.
• Biffa plc: One of the UK's largest waste management companies serving commercial, industrial, and municipal customers with collection, recycling, and disposal services. Competes for the same local authority and retailer bulky-waste contracts that drive TFR Group's volumes.
• Viridor: UK recycling and energy recovery operator handling municipal and commercial waste streams, with growing focus on circular economy and polymer recovery. Overlaps with TFR Group in recycling infrastructure and municipal contract channels.
• FCC Environment UK: UK arm of Spanish waste management group FCC, providing municipal and commercial waste collection, recycling, and treatment. Competes in the bulky waste and local authority recycling segments where TFR Group operates.

Emerging players

• GreenMat: Italian mattress recycling cooperative (Consorzio GreenMat) operating dismantling and material recovery across Italy. Comparable niche-mattress recycler operating under European EPR frameworks, with similar target customers (retailers, local authorities) but on a smaller scale.
• Linen & More / Stichting Retourtex: Dutch textile take-back and recycling foundation/operator linked to the RetourMatras ecosystem. Comparable in operating adjacent take-back, sorting, and material recovery for consumer goods under EPR schemes, sharing institutional context with TFR Group via the RetourMatras investment.

Regional players

• The Furniture Reuse Network: UK-wide network of charity reuse organisations redistributing furniture and household goods to low-income households. Touches a related circular-economy mission in the UK but focuses on furniture reuse rather than mattress recycling; potential partner or alternative channel for donated mattresses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tfr-group

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Furniture Recycling Group