nornnorn has been featured in Bangkok Biz News for pioneering a unique business model that combines digital green financing with product subscription and end-of-life product recycling.

• Rather than selling premium mattresses outright, nornnorn provides them on a monthly subscription basis for both hospitality businesses and households.

• At the end of each subscription, mattresses are collected, disassembled, and their components recycled.

• This approach not only delivers financial benefits for customers, but also drives a more circular economy and directly supports Thailand’s ESG and sustainable consumption agenda.

Coverage by one of Thailand’s leading news outlets highlights nornnorn’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and building a business that creates both economic and environmental impact.

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nornnorn, a circular economy startup, has been spotlighted by SD Thailand for pioneering a business model that merges E-commerce, FinTech, and RecyclingTech.

• Premium mattresses are offered on a subscription basis, collected at end-of-terms, and disassembled for recycling.

• nornnorn’s business model addresses affordability, reduces bulky waste, and promotes sustainable consumption.

• With the application of digital green financing and green bonds, nornnorn is positioning Thailand as a leader in green financing and the circular economy.

Read the article (in Thai only)

Drawing on his pioneering work in the Circular Economy sector and leadership in sustainable business practices, Nophol Techaphangam, Founder & CEO of nornnorn, had the honour of joining CIMB Thai Bank’s “Cooler Earth, Warmer Ventures: Igniting Sustainable Entrepreneurship for a Greener Future” sustainability forum as the “Fireside Chat: The Green Opportunity - Building Successful Businesses with a Purpose” session speaker at the JW Marriott Bangkok on August 8.

The session, moderated by Jason Lee, CIMB Thai’s Head of Sustainability, highlighted the insights and lessons Nophol has gained from building nornnorn. Speaking to an audience of business leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and sustainability advocates, Nophol shared his perspectives on sustainable business leadership, innovation strategies, and entrepreneurship in Thailand’s rapidly evolving green economy.

Other Featured Speakers

With a special emphasis on the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model and its transformative potential for Southeast Asia’s future, the forum brought together thought leaders working to advance Thailand’s sustainable business landscape.

In addition to Nophol, the forum also welcomed contributions from:

• Kritsada Rueangchatwit, Secretary, Circular Economy Development, Thai Chamber of Commerce

• Smitthi Harueanphuech, Head of Nature-based Solutions and Special Project, Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage

• Krisada Kritayakirana, CEO & Co-Founder, MuvMi

• Soranun Choochut, CEO & Founder, ETRAN.

A Platform for Sustainable Change

The forum was a part of the Cooler Earth Sustainability Series, CIMB Thai and CIMB Group’s flagship sustainability initiative that has since its inception served as a platform for global thought leaders, industry experts, and changemakers to share insights and drive meaningful conversations on the most critical environmental and social issues facing our region and beyond.

Read: Redesigning Sleep: How nornnorn is Reinventing Mattresses for a Sustainable Future

On August 4–6 in Bangkok, nornnorn Founder & CEO Nophol Techaphangam joined 60 early- to mid-career circular economy academics, industry professionals, NGO leaders, and policymakers from around the world at the UK Royal Academy of Engineering’s Frontiers Symposium 2025.

The 2.5-day symposium explored The Business Case for Circular Economy through three sub-themes:

1. Digital solutions and creative design – using technology, design, and digital tools to prevent and convert waste.

2. Inclusive systems and policy development – creating frameworks and policies for a just, effective circular economy.

3. Waste valorisation and financing strategies – building the business case for waste and financing waste valorisation initiatives.

Digital Solutions and Creative Design Sub-theme

As one of three co-chairs of the first sub-theme, Nophol presented nornnorn’s work and facilitated interactive activities and discussions on how advanced technologies, digital tools, and creative design can be leveraged not only to convert waste but also to prevent it at its source. The goal was to inspire upstream circular product and service design—where waste is intentionally designed out of the system. Examples covered in the session ranged from nornnorn’s “product-as-a-service + end-of-life recycling” business model to waste management platforms to waste banks, all underscoring how innovations and technologies can strengthen circular business models.

Nophol co-chaired the first sub-theme with:

• Miho Hayashi, Programme Manager, Sustainable Consumption and Production, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan

• Mary Ngechu, Founder & Patron, TakaTaka ni Mali, Kenya

Global Collaboration for a Circular Economy

Hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering in partnership with Thailand’s Programme Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMU-C), Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), the symposium is a part of the Frontiers programme that connects and empowers passionate researchers, innovators, and practitioners from across the globe to collaborate on solutions to complex global challenges—fostering engagement, network-building, and diverse partnerships.

Read: From Circular Thinking to Real-World Change: Building the Circular Economy — One Mattress at a Time

As the Founder & CEO of nornnorn, a next-generation service business driven by data, Nophol Techaphangam was invited by Thailand’s Big Data Institute (BDI) to speak on the topic “Turning Data into Stories: Generating Profit from Customer Insights” at the BDI Connect the Dots: Data-Driven Service Businesses of the Future seminar, held at Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn, Bangkok, on July 15.

Joining Nophol at the event was Thakoon Chartsuthipol, Co-Founder & CEO of FoodStory—a startup that merged with LINE MAN Wongnai—who delivered a talk under the theme “Data-Driven: A Game Changer for Entrepreneurs.”

The event brought together service-sector entrepreneurs eager to leverage data to drive their businesses as well as learn how to collect and utilise data to boost sales and better understand their customers.

Read: Driving Impact with Data: How nornnorn is Reprogramming the Circular Economy

As the leader of a start-up that has received a research and development (R&D) grant from the Programme Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMU-C), Thailand’s Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), Nophol Techaphangam, nornnorn’s Founder & CEO, was invited to be join a panel on “Entrepreneur and Researcher Matching: Success Case Studies” at InnoMarket Scale Up 2025 in Nonthaburi, Thailand, on May 30. 

Organised by the country’s Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) in collaboration with PMU-C, the event aimed to help spur Thai R&D initiatives into high-quality, innovative products and services capable of competing on the global stage.

“Mattresses-as-a-Service with Thailand’s nornnorn” - Nophol Techaphangam, nornnorn’s Founder & CEO, shares with Renewable Matter, an international magazine on the bioeconomy and circular economy, how nornnorn helps provide financially viable access to high-quality mattresses and reduce the amount of wastes and pollutions generated over a mattress lifecycle. 

Download the full magazine

As one of ASEAN’s circular economy business pioneers, nornnorn is one of the eight case studies and the only enterprise from Thailand featured in the ASEAN Secretariat’s “Study on MSME Participation in the Circular Economy” report published this month.

“By implementing a circular economy, nornnorn has emerged as a leader in the mattress industry and is well-equipped to meet the growing demand for sustainable services from businesses and consumers alike,” the report states.

In addition to identifying the patterns of circular economy business models already implemented by ASEAN MSMEs, the landmark study also identifies barriers, challenges and enabling factors to create a framework that could help accelerate the model adoption in the region. This along with its examination of sectoral and stakeholder synergies across the ASEAN Member States as well as insights into consumption and production pattern transformation have made the report an actionable reference for policymakers and business leaders alike.

Read the full report.

As a circular economy entrepreneur operating in a textile-related industry, Nophol Techaphangam, nornnorn’s Founder & CEO, had the honour of joining the Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Rights in Asia Conference (CSERA 2025) as a panelist in the “Sustaining Textile SMEs in Asia: Responsible Water Management for Growth and Resilience” session along side:

• Arvinda Singh, Head Power Plant & Utility, Thai Acrylic Fibre Co., Ltd. (an Aditya Birla Group company)

• Mousumi Sarangi, Country Manager - India, FairWear

• Nahidun Nabi, Ethical Trades Manager, Echotex Ltd., Bangladesh

• Dr. Piriya Uraiwong, Expert in climate change adaptation, integrated water resources management, and corporate sustainability, Thailand 

Held on March 19, the session was moderated by Belinda Hlatshwayo, Business and Human Rights Project Manager, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Sagita Adesywi, UNDP Indonesia’s Business and Human Rights Specialist.

Organised by UNDP in partnership with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and International Union on the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), CSERA 2025 was held on March 18-19 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. 

The conference brought together “select business leaders, investors, policy makers, academics and civil society champions to exchange views on the role of businesses and governments in supporting and strengthening the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.” The event helped facilitate learning and dialogue around emerging regulatory norms involving biodiversity impacts and disclosure, environmental and human rights due diligence, decarbonisation strategies and carbon markets, and ESG reporting. 

As one of Asia Pacific’s circular economy business model pioneers, nornnorn is cited as one of the five case studies by PwC’s “Reinventing Asia Pacific - Embracing a circular economy for a resilient tomorrow” report published last month. nornnorn is the only start-up featured alongside global giants, such as CATL, Renault and Dole.

“nornnorn…, a Bangkok-based, Singapore-incorporated start-up, is pioneering a pay-as-you-use subscription service for premium quality recyclable mattresses. It makes mattresses more financially viable for hospitality businesses, related industries and individual consumers, while minimising waste generation and reducing emissions by collecting and recycling used mattresses.”

Read the full report.

As the leader of a start-up that has received a research and development (R&D) grant from the Programme Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMU-C), Thailand’s Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), Nophol Techaphangam, nornnorn’s Founder & CEO, was invited to take part in PMU-C’s “Circular Economy R&D Grant Proposal Development Strategy” webinar on December 24.

The webinar’s goal was to prepare researchers from various sectors to develop high-calibre grant proposals that could ultimately help drive Circular Economy R&D in Thailand and tangibly enhance the country’s competitiveness.

As one of Thailand’s leading impact entrepreneurs, Nophol Techaphangam, nornnorn’s Founder & CEO, had the pleasure of joining an Entrepreneurship class at the Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University, Bangkok, as a guest speaker on November 23.

The goal of the talk was to use nornnorn’s business model, journey and challenges to help the third and fourth-year Bachelor of Economics (International Programme) students broaden their horizons toward professional practices and bring entrepreneurship theories to life.

As a circular economy business pioneer and a member of the NEXUS community, Nophol Techaphangam, nornnorn’s Founder & CEO, had the pleasure of sharing his experience in starting and scaling nornnorn on the “Eat, Sleep, Scale: Cultivating Circularity in Everyday Essentials” panel at the NEXUS Asia Summit 2024 on Bintan Island, Indonesia, on October 18. 

Joining him as a fellow panelist and the session’s moderator were Felix Böck, ChopValue’s Founder & CEO, and Tomo Hamakawa, a Co-Founder of Mana Earthly Paradise, an ultra sustainable resort in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, and one of nornnorn’s earliest customers.

NEXUS is a global community with over 6,000 members from 70 countries founded to bridge communities of wealth and social entrepreneurship. It has since 2011 worked to unite young investors, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists and allies to catalyse new leadership and accelerate needed political, societal, indigenous, financial, environmental and equal justice solutions.

“‘nornnorn’ - A Thai start-up providing the world’s first “Mattress Subscription + Recycling” service driving forward its green, GHG-reducing business with R&D under the support of NXPO-PMU-C.”

Read more.

As a circular economy thought leader, Nophol Techaphangam, nornnorn’s Founder & CEO, had the honour of joining the ASEAN Circular Economy Forum 2024 (ACEF 2024) as a panelist in the “Strengthening the Regional Ecosystem for Circular Startups” session alongside:

• Nguyen Hong Long, Director, Centre for Creativity and Sustainability, Vietnam

• Tam Phan Hanh, Country Director, Circo Hub Vietnam, Vietnam

• Nicholas Gandolfo, Director, ESG Finance, MUFG, Singapore.

Held on October 2, the session was moderated by Rene van Berkel, a Co-Convenor of the ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA).

Hosted by the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok on October 1-2, ACEF 2024 served as a platform for the ASEAN policy community to engage in dialogue with stakeholders on advancing a circular transition through national policies and regional initiatives. The event supported innovation and entrepreneurship for a circular transition, highlighted existing circular economy practices in ASEAN and the EU, and built on the region’s traditions and values for a sustainable future. 

"nornnorn - New business concept - Mattress subscriptions together with recycling”

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On September 5, nornnorn, under Circularity Co., Ltd., received a THB2.3-million grant (USD68,000) from Thailand’s National Innovation Agency (NIA) in support of our circular economy product subscription platform development.

The grant is a part of the agency’s “economic innovations necessary for Thailand’s development” grant programme (“Mandatory Grant”) that aims to help transition Thailand towards the economy of the future. 

As a circular economy entrepreneur, Nophol Techaphangam, nornnorn’s Founder & CEO, was invited to take part in the “Financing and Investment Capabilities for Environment and Climate Change Innovation Projects in Thailand” seminar on July 24 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Bangkok.

Organised by Thailand’s National Innovation Agency (NIA) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the event aimed to mobilise and support sustainable investments and financing in Thailand as well as uplift the environment and climate change innovation ecosystem in the country. 

The seminar was a part of the Startup x Innovation Thailand Expo 2024 (SITE 2024) that was hosted by NIA between July 22 and 28.

The launch of ACEBA in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 22, 2024

On July 22, nornnorn joined the newly founded ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA) to reaffirm our commitment to help make circular economy a reality in Southeast Asia.

Developed within the framework of the ASEAN Responsible and Inclusive Business Alliance (ARIBA) by the ASEAN Corporate Social Responsibility Network in strategic partnership with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), ACEBA was officially launched in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 22.

With support from the European Union SWITCH-Asia Programme and businesses in the ASEAN Member States, the Alliance aims to assist its members in implementing circular economy solutions and catalyse further circular economy business initiatives in the region. 

Aligned with the ASEAN Circular Economy Framework 2021 by design, ACEBA will facilitate the development, sharing and application of innovative and appropriate circular economy practices, techniques and operational tools and guidance. The Alliance will also showcase and give a voice to its members.

ACEBA’s members commit to lead by example by implementing strategies and taking actions in support of the circular economy transition in the ASEAN region. In particular, they will:

1. Actively promote and advance the circular economy transition in their relationships with buyers and suppliers; their advocacy to government, community and other stakeholders; and through information and knowledge sharing with their business and professional networks

2. Take proactive steps to develop and implement circular solutions in their current and future products, services, processes, operations and other business activities

3. Share their circular economy initiatives and activities along with the resulting impacts by communicating relevant business policies, targets, plans and the levels of resource circularity, resource efficiency and resource substitution achieved

4. Contribute, where appropriate, to ACEBA’s activities, such as to the development and promotion of operational guidelines, toolbox, case studies or other knowledge products.

Having been highlighted by the European Union SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component on Sustainable Consumption and Production as one of Southeast Asia’s 63 circular economy business case studies, nornnorn has the honour of being one of the five ventures featured in their “Mobilising Business Action for Circular Economy in Southeast Asia” promotional VDO.

Launched on July 22 in support of SWITCH-Asia’s drive to assist ASEAN countries in transitioning to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and circular economy, the VDO serves to motivate more businesses in Southeast Asia to join the circular economy movement and contribute to the sustainability of the rapidly growing region. 

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