In Tokyo, cardboard beds had been the stars of the athletes' village, here they are again at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in a "more resistant" and "easier to assemble" version.
A feat that we owe to the company Smurfit Kappa, chosen by the Japanese bedding supplier Airweave to produce the famous bed bases.
“When Paris 2024 chose us, they asked us to find sustainable solutions and to ensure that part of the production was carried out in France,” says Motokuni Takaoka, CEO of Airweave.
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At the 2024 Olympics, athletes will sleep on cardboard beds
That of high-end mattresses ― made from resin fibers, used in particular for certain fishing nets ― was difficult to transfer, so Motokuni Takaoka set out to find French companies capable of producing cardboard box springs.
Its choice fell on Smurfit Kappa, which, via its design office, even proposed a new design for the bed base, including a location for the mobile phone.
“Sleep is one of the components of performance”
The parts are produced in four factories of the group, while the preparation of the kits for the 14,250 bed bases, each weighing 25 kg, is done at the Bray-en-Val factory, in Loiret.
Watch in hand, it takes about twelve minutes to assemble everything ― without nails, screws or glue ― in a precise order.
Everything fits together.
In each kit, 36 elements delivered flat, which will then be folded during assembly.
Among these pieces will be corrugated cardboard plates transformed in the Loiret using paper made in France.
Notably that of the headboard, which includes the words “dream your exploits of tomorrow”, the wedge for the smartphone, or 12 slats, now patented, used to make the bed rigid.
The kits for the 14,250 bed bases, weighing 25 kg each, are prepared at the Bray-en-Val factory, in Loiret.
In each kit, 36 elements delivered flat, come together to form the structure.
LP/Sandrine Lefèvre
After the Olympics, the bed bases will be 100% recycled in France.
“It’s a fairly unique story, which gives our employees a lot of pride,” said Andrew Coffey, CEO of Smurfit Kappa France.
We manufacture the bed base that will be used by thousands of athletes, but Airweave also offers a very sophisticated mattress, the whole results in an exceptional product.
» During the Olympics, Airweave will help, via software, athletes to choose the level of firmness (soft, moderate, firm or extra-firm) of their mattress according to their body type.
Read alsoOJ Paris 2024: in the footsteps of the National Committees visiting the Olympic sites
Each mattress is made up of three blocks, each with its own density level, easily adjustable thanks to a zip closure.
Motokuni Takaoka, CEO of Airweave, is convinced: “Sleep is one of the components of performance.
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And the Japanese therefore wants “athletes to take full advantage of the most important night of their lives”.
The one that precedes the race for the medal.