Olympics: Recyclable cardboard bed, customizable mattress for 2020 athletes

Recyclable cardboard beds and customizable mattresses for athletes to sleep on during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were unveiled this week, as organizers aim to provide comfort at the athletes village while fulfilling environmental sustainability goals.

The bed frames, made of high-resistance cardboard, can support up to about 200 kilograms, the organizers said. They come with three-part polyethylene mattresses that can be mixed and matched to suit each athlete's preferred firmness for the upper, middle and lower body, according to Japanese bedding maker Airweave Inc.

After the games, the beds and mattresses will be recycled into other paper and plastic products.

The lightweight beds will enable athletes to easily rearrange the room layout as they like, the organizers said. For extremely tall athletes, 20-centimeter extensions can be attached to the 210 cm by 90 cm bed frames.

"Sleep determines (the athlete's) performance the following day," said Airweave President and CEO Motokuni Takaoka. The company is considering how to provide personalized advice to athletes on adjusting the mattresses.

Airweave will supply 18,000 beds for the Olympics and 8,000 beds during the Paralympics next year. The 21 residential buildings in the athletes village, currently under construction in Tokyo's Harumi waterfront area, are expected to be completed in December this year.