[MyPerson] The 'Thing' Used 8 Hours a Day... "Enhance Life Quality with a Vegan Mattress"

'N32', First Vegan Certification in Korea's Bed Industry
Icelandic Seacell Boasts Excellent Breathability

"A comfortable 8 hours of sleep a day can change my 24 hours and, furthermore, deliver positive energy to my entire life."

Kim Dong-hyun, Director of Production and Logistics Planning at Simmons, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 11th at N32 Studio in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Hye-won

On average, we spend 8 hours a day sleeping. Kim Dong-hyun, Director of Production and Logistics Planning at Simmons, who researches and develops mattresses that come into contact with our entire body during sleep, created the first vegan mattress (N32) in the domestic bed industry. This mattress is certified as a product that does not use animal-derived ingredients or animal testing. N32 means "comfortable sleep for 8 hours out of 24 hours (24+8=32) gives new energy to my life."

In an interview with Asia Economy on the 11th, Director Kim said, "I felt the urgent need to develop a vegan mattress due to the increasing population suffering from atopy, allergies, and contact dermatitis," adding, "It was a dense work completed over several years from preliminary material research, planning, development, verification, to vegan certification." He hinted that they focused on developing eco-friendly materials and intensively explored domestic and international publications and trends. The material they discovered was a type of seaweed called 'Icelandic Sea Cell.'

Simmons N32 Spring Mattress. Provided by Simmons

Regarding Icelandic Sea Cell, he explained, "It is a material that satisfies both eco-friendly and vegan categories, and from the buyer's perspective, it meets quality, price, and stable supply volume." Initially, materials such as corn, bamboo, paper mulberry, and recycled plastic were also considered but were excluded due to issues like food supply concerns, consumer perception, and insufficient infrastructure.

Director Kim also expressed pride in the durability of the vegan mattress. He said, "When conducting product durability tests, the youngest team member, who was particularly nervous, accidentally spilled water on the mattress sample, causing the test to be unexpectedly delayed by a day. However, when we checked the condition the next day, the inside was completely dry, which surprised all the team members," adding, "This proved excellent breathability."

Director Kim explained that the N32 maintains the Ministry of Environment's nationally certified eco-friendly certification by using only materials free of harmful substances, and it renews radon and thoron safety product certification annually from the Korea Standards Association (KSA), the official radon certification body in Korea. He also mentioned that as a flame-retardant mattress that does not easily catch fire, it prevents 'Flash Over,' where indoor spaces are engulfed in explosive flames during a fire, securing a golden time for evacuation.