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Our modern world is full of conveniences and things that make our lives much easier/better quality. From technology to well-made goods and sundries, we have plenty of options for making yourself comfortable and maintaining health. With that in mind, we must also take care to address ways to maintain our environment.
After all, we only have one planet to call home. Using sustainable materials and reducing your carbon footprint helps, but there are other methods for maintaining the environment by using goods made from organic materials. Consider upgrading your mattress, sheets, bedding, pillows, and sleeping accouterments to longer-lasting, sustainable versions.
With an organic mattress, specifically, you can sleep in comfort and protect the environment at the same time by switching to an eco-friendly, organic mattress. Here’s a look at four reasons you need an eco-friendly mattress.
In This Post:
What Is an Organic Mattress?
Organic/eco-friendly mattresses are made out of sustainable, environmentally friendly materials. Production methods are also done in a manner that does not harm the environment. The difference between eco-friendly and traditional mattresses is pretty straightforward too. Traditional mattresses use latex, wool, or other materials around the springs and may occasionally use foam.
Eco-friendly mattresses use natural/organic wool, cotton, latex, and other organic materials that are produced sustainably, in accordance with established organic production standards. You'll also want to watch out for greenwashing—when a company sinks time, energy, and resources into marketing themselves as environmentally friendly when in reality they're not—when you’re looking to buy an organic mattress.
You can also get an organic mattress with or without springs and obtain pillows or other bedding that are environmentally friendly. Organic mattresses are comfortable, safe, and elegant with an affordable price point.
1. Sustainable Materials
In a world of limited resources, sustainable materials are vital. Cotton, wool, and latex are some of the most sustainable materials available—and the most common materials used to manufacture mattresses. Each of them is either grown/harvested or are renewable in some way. Latex comes from rubber trees that are tapped to generate the substance. Cotton grows and can be harvested each season. Wool itself comes from sheep that are sheared, but their hair grows back and they can be sheared again, generating a very renewable/sustainable resource.
Where organic mattresses differ is that they don’t use materials like polyurethane foam, polyester, non-organic cotton, synthetic/blended latex, or other plastics in their construction. With organic mattress manufacturing, these materials are manufactured to the GOTS or GOLS standards.
These are established production, manufacturing, and handling standards to ensure when a material says it’s organic, it actually means exactly that. These standards are essential to creating an organic textile standard that’s accepted worldwide.
2. Longer Lasting
Over time, mattresses start to sag, get dirty, wear out, or generally mess with your sleep. After half a decade of sleeping on it every night, your mattress naturally starts to wear. When that happens, it may be time to replace the unit entirely. Unfortunately, standard mattresses are often made from sub-par, synthetic, or lower-quality materials and tend to wear out faster.
With an organic mattress, you avoid these hurdles due to higher quality materials and better manufacturing policies. Some green and eco-friendly mattresses are actually hand-made and come with a nearly two-decade warranty!
That kind of durability and long-lasting material means you'll get better sleep more often, and for a long period into the future. Compared to traditional mattresses, organic mattresses tend to last longer and are easier to recycle. Most mattresses only last around seven years or so (sometimes up to 10 or 11). A good-quality organic mattress usually lasts much longer, sometimes up to 20 or 25 years.
3. Climate Neutral Certified and Quality Materials
When you’re investing in furniture that you’re going to spend a full third of your time sleeping in it, it’s crucial to ensure the quality of the materials before committing to a purchase.
The eco-friendly, natural mattresses made by Avocado Green Mattress offer long-lasting mattresses created with the highest quality organic cotton, wool, latex, and other organic materials. Supplemental to that, many organic mattress manufacturers are seeking to reduce or completely eliminate their carbon footprints for the purpose of helping to curb climate change.
While other sectors have climate-neutral certified manufacturers, Avocado Green Mattress is the only fully climate-neutral certified bedding manufacturers out there today. They create a quality, long-lasting, handmade mattress that relies on some of their own sustainable materials (including wool from their own herd of sheep) all up to the standards of the climate-neutral certification board.
It probably won’t be long before other manufacturers join in, but for now, Avocado Green Mattress has them beat completely in this regard.
4. Non Toxic Fire Retardants
In traditional mattress manufacturing, flame retardants are often incorporated into the overall design of the mattress. This can pose a problem on occasion, as some flame retardants come with the possibility of some major health issues.
Toxic materials used in their manufacturing have been linked to an array of medical issues with prolonged exposure (including cancer, endocrine issues, cardiovascular disease, and fertility problems). Organohalogen flame retardants (OFRs) in particular can be quite dangerous. Polyurethane fill can be toxic while it cures.
Organic mattresses are made without any of these materials, with wool taking the place of more dangerous materials due to its status as a natural flame retardant—ultimately making the case for upgrading from your old mattress into a beautiful new organic one as soon as possible.
Who Sells Organic Mattresses?
There are a few mattress companies who sell organic mattresses, here are our favorites:
1. Avocado Green Mattress
- Avocado mattresses are MADE SAFE® certified — screened against 6,500 known and suspected harmful chemicals.
- Every Avocado latex organic mattress, topper and pillow is GREENGUARD Gold Certified for child-safe low emissions
- Avocado is the world’s first mattress brand to be Climate Neutral Certified.
- 25-Year Warranty
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2. Naturepedic
- Naturepedic organic products meet the organic and non-toxic standards of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
- Naturepedic uses organic latex that meets the organic and non-toxic standards of the Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS).
- Preferred by Nature has certified Naturepedic for Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) Chain of Custody for latex and wood that meets FSC standards.
- MADE SAFE certifies products made with ingredients not known or suspected to cause human health harm.
- All Naturepedic products are certified to the UL/GREENGUARD Gold Certification as well as the UL formaldehyde-free standard.
- The Organic Exchange OCS100 Certification Program ensures proper tracking of organic material from its source to the finished product. Naturepedic is certified to meet this standard, demonstrating that the organic fiber in our products has been independently verified.
- Through its involvement with Green America and the Green Business Network, Naturepedic conducts its business according to standards that reach beyond contemporary practices in addressing the needs of consumers, employees, communities and the environment.
- Naturepedic is a proud member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and our vegan mattress models are certified by PETA as well.
- SFC focuses on promoting sustainable practices, and has given Naturepedic a Gold rating for best practice achievements including use of sustainable materials.
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