Enkev

What Enkev does

Enkev (legal name: ENKEV GROUP BV, trade mark ENKEV®) is a Netherlands-based, family-controlled manufacturer of natural-fibre and circular materials, founded in 1932 in Volendam as a social initiative to employ local fishermen displaced by declining fish stocks, and now self-described as the leading global processor of natural fibres.

The company engineers and produces biodegradable and recyclable inputs using six proprietary processes — spinning, needling, rubberising, moulding, non-woven, and extrusion — deployed across 14 production lines located at six facilities in five countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, United Kingdom, United States). Its portfolio spans three categories: Natural Products (e.g., Cocolok natural-latex-bonded coconut fibre, Hairlok horsehair, alpaca, bamboo, camel wool, cotton, sisal); Circular Products (Labyrinth 100 recyclable synthetic blends and Labyrinth 200 100% LDPE extruded structures); and specialty items spanning filtration media (Matsumi, Japanese Filter Mat, Blue Filtermat), horticulture substrates (SubEnk, AW-DISK), packaging (Cocoform), insulation (Cocoplate, Cocostop), automotive seating, and footwear insoles. The group holds 24+ GOTS-certified blends plus Vegan Society, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and QUL certifications for natural latex.

Enkev sells B2B on a quote/procurement basis directly to manufacturers and brand owners across mattress, furniture, filtration, horticulture, packaging, automotive, footwear, and insulation industries, supported by regional sales offices, a USA distribution warehouse (High Point, NC), participation in trade shows such as Heimtextil and PTAK Warsaw, and a website with a Mattress Configurator tool. Pricing is non-public; revenue comes from one-time material sales plus custom co-development services and, for circular products, an end-of-life buy-back option that creates a closed-loop secondary revenue stream. Strategic differentiation rests on 90+ years of accumulated fibre know-how, certified sustainable content, and an exclusive farm-to-finished-product wool partnership with Wools of New Zealand.

Name

Enkev

Legal name

ENKEV GROUP BV

Website

https://enkev.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Enkev is a Netherlands-founded, family-controlled manufacturer of natural-fibre and circular composite materials, producing biodegradable coir, latex, and recycled-synthetic inputs for mattress, furniture, filtration, horticulture, packaging, automotive, and footwear manufacturers across 14 production lines in five countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Natural Fibre Materials

NAICS

Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing (326150), Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing (32615), Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (326)

SIC

Plastics Foam Products (3086), Fabricated Rubber Products, Nec (3060)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Textile Filling & Stuffing Manufacturing (Polyfill/Down/Feather/Batting) (IMAOAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foam Conversion & Fabrication (Cutting, Laminating, CNC, Packaging Inserts) (IMANAIAJ), Foam Protective Packaging (EPS/EPE/EPP, PU, Molded Foam) (IMALAFAA), Compostable & Bio-Based Packaging (PLA/PHA, Starch Blends, Cellulose Films) (IMALAMAB)

Keywords

• Natural fibre materials
• PU-foam replacement
• Industrial textiles manufacturing
• Biodegradable non-wovens
• Fibre processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Volendam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Natural Material Sales: ENKEV engineers and produces natural fibre materials (coir, horsehair, wool, bamboo, sisal, alpaca, cotton, camel wool) and natural latex-based composites (Cocolok, Hairlok, Haircolok, Taillok XXE, Akwamat). These are sold as filling, covering, and structural materials to manufacturers in bedding, furniture, automotive, filtration, horticulture, packaging, and footwear industries.
2. Circular Material Sales: ENKEV produces and sells circular/recyclable materials including Labyrinth 100 and Labyrinth 200, made from fully recyclable synthetic fibres and LDPE respectively. ENKEV offers to buy back Labyrinth products at end of lifecycle for recycling, creating a closed-loop revenue model.
3. Custom Manufacturing Services: ENKEV provides custom manufacturing capabilities across its 14 production lines (spinning, needling, rubberising, moulding, non-woven, extrusion) allowing customers to co-develop unique products and blends. Walotex and Havivank offer on-site custom blend creation.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Enkev manufactures and supplies natural and circular fibre-based raw materials, including coconut fibre (coir), horsehair, wool, sisal, alpaca, cotton, bamboo, and camel wool, processed through spinning, needling, rubberising, moulding, non-woven, and extrusion processes. The company produces filling, covering, and structural materials sold to manufacturers in the mattress, furniture, filtration, horticulture, packaging, automotive, and footwear industries as sustainable alternatives to polyurethane foam.

Product overview

ENKEV is a materials manufacturing company specializing in natural and circular fiber-based products. The portfolio consists of three main product categories: Natural Products (Cocolok, Bamboo, Camel Wool, Cotton, Hairlok, Alpaca, Cattle Hair, and various processed fiber materials), Circular Products (Labyrinth 100 and Labyrinth 200 made from recyclable materials), and Other Specialty Products (filtration mats, packaging solutions, insulation materials). The company also produces raw materials including Coir, Sisal, Natural Latex, PET, and LDPE. These materials serve diverse industries including mattresses/furniture, filtration, horticulture, packaging, automotive, shoes, and insulation. ENKEV operates 14 production lines and processes various fiber types through manufacturing processes including Spinning, Needling, Rubberising, Moulding, Non-woven production, and Extrusion. The company positions itself as a PU-foam replacement provider with sustainable and biodegradable alternatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cocolok: Material made purely from natural coconut fibres and natural latex, used in mattresses, upholstery, filtration, automotive, and insulation applications.
• Hairlok
• Labyrinth 100
• Labyrinth 200
• Cocoform
• Havivank
• Walotex

Products and services

• Cocolok Material made from natural coconut fibres and natural latex, used as resilient, ventilating filling for mattresses, upholstery, automotive seating, filtration, and insulation applications.
• Hairlok Material made from natural animal hair and natural latex, designed to distribute pressure over pocket springs while maintaining point elasticity in mattresses, furniture, car seats, filters, and packaging.
• Labyrinth 100 Circular filling material blending fully recyclable synthetic fibres with nature-inspired design patterns, offering elasticity, pressure distribution, and ventilation for mattress cores and bedding applications.
• Labyrinth 200 Made from 100% LDPE and used as a full mattress core in children's and adult mattresses, designed with circular principles to support recyclability and long-term performance.
• Cocoform Natural and sustainable packaging material made from coconut fibre and natural binder; fully biodegradable, compostable, and can be pressed into various protective packaging shapes.
• Matsumi Filter Mat Filter mat made of quality PET fibres with curled monofilament creating thousands of micro-springs for biological liquid filtration in koi ponds, industrial filtration, and aquaculture applications.
• SubEnk Horticulture Substrate Proprietary coconut-fibre-based substrate for soil-free cultivation of tomatoes and cucumbers, strong enough to support plants across multiple growing cycles and ploughed into fields as a soil improver after use.
• Fibrelok Fibre-reinforced PU-foam combination buffer blocks used to support and protect large, high-value parts in the wind energy and aerospace industries.
• Cocoplate Insulation panels made from curled coir fibres of coconut husk bonded with rubber latex, offering shock absorption, sound insulation, and heat insulation properties.
• Havivank Non-woven Fabrics Specialty non-woven fabrics and fleeces manufactured through needling processes with GOTS certification, supplying custom fibre blends for the mattress industry and other applications.
• Walotex Specialty Non-wovens Specialty non-woven products manufactured via needlepunching and thermobonding processes, serving mattresses, construction, green roofs, vertical farming, and insulation markets with on-site custom blend creation.
• Akwamat 2 Water-resistant, resilient LDPE mat with wicking quality and ventilation properties, made from completely recyclable materials for marine, caravan, and camper mattress and cushion applications.
• Japanese Filter Mat Filter mat used for koi ponds, annealing installations, and air-control units, offering large specific surface area, high volume flow, quick bacterial fauna start-up, and durability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Natural range emits up to 79% less CO2 than PU-foam
• +3 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wools of New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerENKEV is the exclusive partner of Wools of New Zealand in the mattress business. Wools of New Zealand enables ENKEV to supply farm-direct wool, providing full traceability and stewardship from farm to finished product. This partnership supports ENKEV's premium positioning in the bedding market with traceable, ethically sourced wool.
• ImpulseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpulse is a climate-focused organisation that links climate-change needs to everyday actions and lifestyle choices. ENKEV partnered with Impulse to obtain reliable CO2 footprint data for its products and operations, enabling the company to share accurate environmental impact information with customers.
• Engrow BVminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorENKEV collaborates with Engrow BV on horticulture products, particularly anti-weed discs (AW-DISK) and other coconut-fibre-based growing media. Engrow distributes these products under its own brand while ENKEV supplies the underlying materials. ENKEV also jointly developed the SubEnk coconut-fibre substrate with Engrow input.
• Wageningen University (WUR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerENKEV collaborates closely with Wageningen University (the Netherlands) on soil-free horticulture research and product development, including the SubEnk substrate project for tomato and cucumber cultivation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Latexco NV: Belgian-headquartered manufacturer of latex foam and spring-in-box components for mattresses, pillows and upholstery. Directly comparable to Enkev as a B2B materials supplier serving the same premium bedding and furniture OEM customers with specialty comfort components.
• John Cotton Group: UK-based nonwovens, fibre and bedding component manufacturer serving mattress, furniture and filtration markets. Comparable to Enkev's Havivank and Walotex non-woven operations and overlapping product portfolio in needled and bonded fibre materials.

Broad incumbents

• Recticel NV/SA: Belgian-listed polyurethane foam leader serving bedding, furniture, automotive and insulation markets across Europe. Competes directly against Enkev's PU-foam-replacement products but at vastly greater scale and broader portfolio depth.
• Trocellen GmbH: German-based polyolefin and polyurethane foam manufacturer with strong European presence in automotive, sports, and insulation applications. Competes with Enkev in automotive seating substrates and insulation materials.
• Carpenter Co. US-based, family-owned polyurethane foam and bedding component manufacturer - the largest player in the North American comfort-materials market. Overlaps with Enkev in mattress fillings and the recent launch of bio-based foams.
• Vita Group: UK-headquartered flexible polyurethane foam manufacturer supplying bedding, furniture and automotive markets globally. Direct competitor to Enkev's rubberised fibre and Labyrinth portfolios through its established OEM relationships.

Others

• BekaertDeslee: Belgian-headquartered global leader in woven and knitted mattress ticking textiles. Complementary rather than competitive with Enkev: both supply the same premium mattress OEM customers with adjacent component layers.
• Hilding Anders International: Swedish-owned, European-Asian bedding and mattress manufacturer (slatted beds, mattresses, pillows). Downstream customer of Enkev's fibre and circular materials, but also operates its own component sourcing that competes for similar supply.
• Deslee Clama: Belgian mattress fabric and covers manufacturer serving global bedding brands. Adjacent supplier to the same mattress OEM customer base that Enkev serves with filling materials.

Regional players

• Ohishi Sangyo Co., Ltd. Japanese processor of coconut fibre (coir) and natural fibre materials for bedding, automotive, and industrial applications. Closest Asia-Pacific analogue to Enkev's coir-based Cocolok and rubberised fibre products, but does not directly compete in Enkev's European and North American markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EnkevGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/enkev-bv
• Xx.com/enkevnatural

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Enkev