Business class slippers and mattress from October 2019
 

Wow.

“Many passengers find Cathay’s current business class seats a little hard for their liking when used as a bed, and ask for a second duvet to use as a makeshift mattress, adding an extra layer of cushioning.”
Yes, indeed, that's what I do on LH routes.

Unfortunately: ".... business class fliers will get a thin mattress topper pad ...".
El Cheapo, please do this the right way, like MH, if needed, charge me $1 for that.......

"... business class fliers will get .... slippers .....", OK, great, something I appreciate from BR, above the CX socks.

"Rivals have or are planning ..... book-the-cook .....": An ISM told me, CX is working on this too, introduction not known, though something like "end of this year (2019)", though it seems to not have made it, for now :(

Mattress (even thin) and slippers are excellent needed addition and keep up with competition.
Even BA introduced mattress toppers starting in 2017.

CX was quite silly in providing only socks in J and only slippers in F. They don't serve the same purpose. Each time in F, I have to ask for socks and they are the low quality ones from J.

Yay it's about time!! I REALLY hope they use the nice thick ones like AA does - they use CASPER ones and they are really nice. If they use something thin and flimsy like the duvet it won't be all that great.... just flew AA from HKG to LAX and the sleep was definitely better... catering on AA is another story but the sleep was good.

Also dual air vents on AA above each seat are a real plus in J.

First class to get "thicker" mattress, too
 

Although the OPs title talks about J class, if you read that article he/she posted they're saying not only does J gets a mattress topper (as discussed), and First Class gets a new thicker mattress.

I already thought CX F bedding was superb. Hopefully this doesn't muck it up. They've got a good track record with bedding IMO, particularly superb bedding in F compared to pretty much every other carrier I'm familiar with in F. Despite other complaints on CX I am unabashedly loyal to CX F bedding, and I always thought marginal complaints about CX's topper (vs something like JL's gimmicky mattress "choice", IMO, which doesn't even run the full length of the bed and is far less comfy than CX IMO) were misplaced. I'm still optimistic, just worried by the maxim "if it ain't broke..."

Exact quote from SCMP is: "While in first class, ticket holders will get a thicker mattress pad, an upgrade on an existing topper used."

It's about time. Especially for slippers.

Nice that CX management recognizes their product is currently sub-par in several respects.

Although I agree, I'm a fan of slippers on long haul flights. Finnair has new slippers that are made from recycled plastic. They feel fine but they're not the best to look at. I assume the environmental impact isn't quite as bad as with their old slippers.

I am curious if people who can afford J cannot then afford $0.50 slippers which are no doubt the slip on kind given for zilch at hotels and which one could put in their carry on. Do people carry nothing in case an airline has not provided it? Like a toothbrush? All these airline giveaway items are usually 1/10th as good as what you could buy and bring and not pollute the world more for the sake of saying one deserves it.

Who said anything about cost being the issue? It's not the money, it's the hassle.