Kipli is a company founded in 2017 out of a desire to explore and a legacy. It all started with the mattress...
In France, as in many other European countries, about 5 million mattresses are thrown away in landfills each year —roughly one every 4 seconds. Of these 5 million mattresses, about 90% are made of synthetic materials and represent a significant waste burden to dispose of and process.
The best-selling mattresses are those made of polyurethane, memory foam, or similar materials. These mattresses are made entirely of synthetic materials derived from petroleum and petrochemicals.
We spend about 8 hours a day on a mattress, and most people sleep on entirely synthetic mattresses, which then become waste that is difficult to dispose of, with harmful consequences for the environment.
When we founded Kipli, we asked ourselves the following question: Why produce low-quality polyurethane mattresses—made entirely of chemicals and synthetic materials—when there is a healthy, natural, and environmentally friendly alternative?
Kipli's alternative to polyurethane and synthetic materials is natural latex. Natural latex is a 100% plant-based material extracted from the Hevea brasiliensis tree, which thrives in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The production of this type of mattress poses a much more complex challenge than the production of polyurethane mattresses, primarily for three reasons.
The first is the weight of the finished product, which, in the case of natural latex, is greater than that of polyurethane or memory foam. This means that the mattress cannot be shipped via standard logistics channels and must be handled exclusively by a logistics provider specializing in furniture transport.
The second reason is that natural latex mattresses, unlike polyurethane or memory foam, cannot remain compressed and rolled up for long periods of time. This characteristic therefore requires inventory management on a near-real-time basis or with very short storage periods.
The third reason is that processing natural latex requires machinery that is much heavier and more expensive than a production line for polyurethane or memory foam mattresses. Natural latex is also a much more expensive raw material than synthetic materials, resulting in a significant difference in production costs. As a result, the price of a finished natural latex mattress is about twice that of a polyurethane mattress.
These are the reasons why most manufacturers focus their R&D (Research and Development) on technologies that are easier to produce, such as polyurethane or memory foam, which allow for higher profit margins.
Despite these complex production challenges, natural latex offers undeniable benefits for both the end consumer and the environment.
The comfort provided by a natural latex mattress is equal to or greater than that of a polyurethane or memory foam mattress, with the immense advantage of much better breathability. Natural latex cores have air cells running the entire length of the mattress, which, combined with the micro-air cells naturally present throughout the material, ensure maximum breathability.
In addition, choosing natural latex means you can rely on a completely plant-based, non-synthetic material that guarantees the absence of harsh synthetic adhesives. Furthermore, a natural latex mattress lasts twice as long as a memory foam mattress. At the end of its life, natural latex is biodegradable, unlike polyurethane.
The legacy on which the Kipli company is built stems from the twenty years of work by Mario, an Italian entrepreneur who, in 1998, founded a factory producing natural latex mattresses, going against the market trend of the time (which remains the same today). His visionary nature was rooted in common sense and a belief:
"One day, people will realize that sleeping 8 hours on a synthetic mattress that's harmful to the environment is an irrational choice."
This legacy enabled his nephew, Davide, to work on streamlining the cost structure with the goal of making a product accessible to a wider audience—a product that otherwise could only be sold to a handful of people. Davide’s efforts—focused on centralizing and controlling production, improving the production process, reducing internal markups, and eliminating middlemen—led to the creation of Kipli.
A brand that aims to offer an eco-friendly and healthy alternative in a market dominated by the giants of the synthetic mattress industry.
A credible and scalable industrial alternative that could set a new market standard—one that is more natural, environmentally friendly, and healthier for consumers.
A brand that places common sense at the heart of its values and strives to raise awareness about alternatives to marketing that is all too often misleading, and to educate consumers about the constant price cuts offered by other mattress brands, which often mask products of mediocre quality.
Of course,
Antoine and Davide, co-founders of Kipli