How a lot thought have you ever given to the supplies inside of your mattress? Many mattresses as we speak are made with reminiscence, polyurethane or artificial latex foam for elevated consolation, however these foams might be made with chemical substances like propylene oxide, benzene, flame retardants and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Considering we spend round a 3rd of our lives asleep and face-to-face with our mattresses, this truth might be trigger for concern.
Luckily, many bedding manufacturers have taken the additional precautions to supply and manufacture their mattresses extra sustainably and cleanly, utilizing third-party organizations to confirm their efforts with certifications. You can discover a mattress’s certifications displayed throughout the mattress’s description on a model’s web site or the mattress tag.
Here are the certifications to be careful for when looking for a clear, non-toxic mattress.
Mattress certifications
1. CertiPUR-US
A mattress with a CertiPUR-US seal is assured free of ozone depleters, PBDEs, flame retardants, mercury, lead, formaldehyde, phthalates and low in risky natural compounds, which contribute to emissions and off-gassing smells.
Popular beds together with the Casper Original and Nectar mattress have been awarded this certification.
2. Oeko-Tex Standard 100
The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certifies textiles and residential furnishings like foam, cotton and latex. This certification ensures each sew of a mattress, from the thread to the froth, was examined for (and free of) an inventory of as much as 350 dangerous chemical substances.
3. GreenGuard
A mattress with a GreenGuard seal has met strict requirements in opposition to VOC emissions, whereas a GreenGuard Gold certification verifies {that a} mattress has efficiently handed emission assessments with even stricter requirements.
4. Global Organic Textile Standard
To acquire a GOTS seal, the fabric have to be made up of a minimum of 95% natural fibers and meet stringent environmental requirements. Cotton and wool inside of a mattress have to be GOTS licensed to be thought-about natural.
5. Global Organic Latex Standard
For latex foam to be thought-about natural and obtain a GOLS certification, the mattress should comprise a minimum of 95% uncooked natural materials. It additionally should adhere to excessive environmental and sustainability requirements all through all factors of the availability chain, from the farms the latex is sourced from to the manufacturing course of.
6. (*8*) Wool Standard
Wool given the (*8*) Wool Standard certification is of the best high quality and has upheld requirements all through the availability chain. It ensures:
- Environmental safety
- Animal safety
- Human rights safety
The RWS seal verifies the wool was sustainably sourced from environmentally-friendly, cruelty-free farms and processed at socially-conscious factories.
7. Cradle to Cradle
Textiles like cotton with a Cradle to Cradle certification should uphold the best of requirements in:
- Material well being
- Renewable power
- Use of materials
- Social equality
- Stewardship
8. Fair Trade
A Fair Trade USA licensed mattress was manufactured in factories that observe moral office practices and promote a secure setting. Workers are protected by insurance policies that give them the proper to barter truthful wages and talk about complaints with out concern of retaliation.
Natural vs. Organic mattresses: What’s the distinction?
While you mattress store, you will see manufacturers use phrases like “pure” and “natural” when describing their mattresses and the supplies inside them. The phrases might sound interchangeable, however there is a distinction.
Natural mattresses are usually made of Talalay or Dunlop latex foam and added consolation supplies like cotton and wool. Talalay and Dunlop latex foam is sourced from nature; the sap of a rubber tree is baked and cooled into bouncy, comfortable foam slabs. Cotton and wool are additionally pure supplies that are not manufactured inside a manufacturing unit.
That mentioned, if a latex mattress is not marketed as natural, the latex or different textiles did not meet the required requirements to realize a GOLS or GOTS certification. Therefore, they are often known as pure, however not earn the hard-won “natural” seal.
I’ve usually seen mattresses that use GOTS licensed cotton, however not GOLS licensed latex, just like the EcoCloud from WinkBed.
Organic mattresses are usually made of GOLS licensed natural latex foam, and GOTS licensed cotton and wool. All textiles and foam throughout the mattress have to be made up of a minimum of 95% natural supplies, and the model has to observe strict environmental and humanitarian tips all through each step of the method.
Beds with natural certifications embody the Avocado Green mattress and Birch mattress.