By Doug Moss and Roddy Scheer
Find the perfect mattress for you -- and the environment.
Find the perfect mattress for you -- and the environment.
Dear EarthTalk: I’m in the market for a new mattress after two decades on “old faithful” and I figure it’s a good time to go green. What are the options for eco-friendly mattresses?      

     -- Betsy Langdon, Chicago
    Who would have thought that the comfy mattress you’ve been sleeping on for years contains dozens of potentially harmful substances and materials, from petrochemicals to adhesives to dyes to flame retardants, among other toxins and carcinogens. Luckily for green-minded consumers, there has never been a better time to find a truly “green” mattress.
    “Green technology and innovation have impacted a wide range of industries in recent years, and this growing demand has led many mattress manufacturers to offer sustainable products as well,” reports Tuck, a website dedicated to improving sleep hygiene, health and wellness through the creation and dissemination of comprehensive, unbiased, free resources. “However, terms like ‘green,’ ‘natural’ and ‘eco-friendly’ are often misused or exaggerated within the mattress industry.” Further complicating matters, there is no regulatory body fact-checking green claims within the mattress industry, although certifications are available for certain mattress materials like foam, latex and fabrics.
    So, what’s a green-minded, health-conscious mattress shopper to do? First, know what to look for. A true green mattress features natural and/or organic materials (natural latex, plant-based polyfoam or memory foam, cotton, wool, etc.). Any mattress that contains less than 60 percent natural or organic material has no right to market itself as “green,” Tuck says.
    There is no overall certification for green mattresses per se, but there are certifications that apply to certain types of mattresses and their materials. For example, if a mattress meets the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), at least 95 percent of its materials are certified organic, while certain noxious chemicals (chemical flame retardants, polyurethane) can’t be present at all. The Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) certifies that a latex mattress is made from 95 percent organic latex, with similarly stringent restrictions on what can be in the remaining 5 percent of the mattress.
    Another certification to look for is OEKO-TEX, which sets limits on how much a mattress can off-gas potentially harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde and other volatile organic chemicals linked to respiratory illness, memory impairment and other human health issues.
    Foam mattress buyers should keep an eye out for the CertiPUR-US label, which certifies polyfoams and memory foams as made without ozone depleters, chemical flame retardants, heavy metals, formaldehyde and phthalates—and emit little if any volatile organic compounds that can compromise indoor air quality.
    Some of the leading green mattress brands out there, as vetted by Tuck and other experts, include Avocado, Bear, Essentia, Happsy, Keetsa, Live & Sleep, LifeKind/OMI, Loom & Leaf, Luxi, My Green Mattress, Naturepedic, Nest Bedding, Organic Mattresses, Plushbeds, Saatva, Sleep On Latex, Soaring Heart, Spindle, Tuft & Needle and Zenhaven.
     To learn more, peruse Tuck.com. The freely accessible database contains information on 125,000 different customer experiences from nearly 1,000 individual sources.

      Contacts:

       Tuck

       GOTS: Global Organic Textile Standard

       GOLS: Global Organic Latex Standard

       OEKO-TEX

       CertiPUR-US

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     This column was reprinted with permission. EarthTalk is produced by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of the nonprofit Earth Action Network. To donate, visit www.earthtalk.org. Send questions to: question@earthtalk.org.

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