A Conversation with Rick Maddison: Revolutionizing the Sleep Industry's Lack of Sustainability

Second Slumber is an innovative company that  rescues 100-night comfort return mattresses, reducing landfill waste and offering an eco-friendly alternative to manufacturers for their customers when they change their mind on a recent purchase.

As part of Haven Mattress co. mission to provide the best sleep solutions for customers and the environment, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rick Maddison, a passionate advocate for sustainability and Managing Director of Second Slumber. Rick’s shared ideas that are reshaping how we think about returning perfectly good items that are too bulky to ship back to the manufactures. Imagine driving a King size bed across provinces tied to your car roof? No thanks.

From Dragon's Den to Daily Life

Rick Maddison's appearance on Dragon's Den was more than just a pitch; it was a spotlight on a crucial environmental issue. Frequently recognized as "the guy with the deal on Dragon's Den," Rick has become a household name, advocating for sustainable practices in the mattress industry. This venture, Second Slumber, aims to give high-quality, recently purchased mattresses a second life, significantly reducing landfill waste and providing affordable sleep solutions. Unfortunately, for most national mattress brands, once you've opened up your king-sized mattress on Fogo Island, Newfoundland (as an example), and you decide you're not happy with it during the risk free trial, the only answer from the other mattress brands was to try to donate it to charity before they dispose of it. Since most charities that provide shelter need single or super-singles to house the most amount of folks in need, the 75% majority of the marketplace made up of Kings and Queens end up in the landfill.

1-800-Got-Junk? No Thanks.

While working on the solution to this problem for Haven, Rick discovered that the Western Canada Account Manager for 1-800-Got-Junk has an entire multi-million dollar account team to manage the thousands of other mattress brands that are hired by 1-800-Got-Junk to send their mattresses to landfills. 

Voting With Our Wallets

Rick's vision extends beyond just mattresses.

"I hope that as a society, we will increasingly choose to support companies that prioritize environmental sustainability and be thoughtful of what is the right thing to do as online sales and returns will not be going away any time soon," said Rick.

In the future, he believes that consumers will consider the environmental impact of their purchases more carefully, supporting businesses that take proactive steps to reduce waste in the return process.

Second Slumber: A Partnership for a Greener Future

At Haven, we are proud to be the first Canadian partner with Second Slumber in 2021 to exclusively manage 100% our our Haven mattress returns. This collaboration allows us to align our values with action, ensuring that returned mattresses are given a second life rather than ending up in landfills. Second Slumber's process involves verification of the mattresses to ensure they meet high standards of like-new quality before being re-sold at a reduced price to the new forever home.

After a 3 year exclusive and a ton of work from the Second Slumber team, Haven Sleep Co. became the Worlds first 100% Certified Zero Waste Return Retailers. 

A Win-Win Solution

Second Slumber has set up as not-for-profit where proceeds from mattress re-sales online go to their National Charity partners at the Canadian Mental Health Association.

So far only a small handful of mattress brands have partnered up with Second Slumber to reduce their time spent managing these awkward customer return interactions.

Rick’s message is clear:

"If we can spread the word and connect with potential mattress partners, we can expand the reach of Second Slumber, introducing more people to the benefits of affordable sleep."

Join the Movement

Currently Second Slumber has saved over 1,500 almost brand new mattresses from Canadian and USA landfills coming from seven independent mattress brands who are on their way towards their own Zero-Waste Certification. 

If you know a mattress brand who might be interested in partnering with Second Slumber, don’t hesitate to reach out: rick@secondslumber.com

Rick Maddison is a witty and fun-loving leader. His passion and dedication to "doing better" are truly inspiring, and we’re proud to share his story with the Haven community. His current mattress is a 2022 Haven Lux Rejuvenate that he purchased through the secondslumber.ca website for 50% of its value. Rick sleeps better knowing he and his team are helping an industry move towards a more sustainable future, one mattress at a time.