Sleeping on a Green Mattress

Environmentally friendly mattresses offer potential health benefits and reduced environmental impact. They may have an above average lifespan as well, as natural products tend to last longer than synthetic materials. It’s a good idea to consider a green mattress when you’re choosing your next mattress.

Of course, it’s important to know the difference between a truly green mattress and one that’s greenwashed. A truly environmentally friendly mattress will have environmental certifications to support their claims, while greenwashed ones typically have buzzwords but no real proof that their beds have any advantage for the environment.

Green Mattress Certifications

When researching green mattresses, pay attention to certifications, which are typically awarded for reducing human health risk factors and environmental impact. These include:

• Greenguard and Greenguard Gold: VOCs in finished mattresses

• USDA Organic: Organic raw materials, such as cotton and latex

• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): At least 95 percent organic fibers

• Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS): At least 95 percent organic latex

• OEKO-TEX Standard 100: Emission limits for chemicals that pose a human health risk

• OEKO-TEX Made in Green: Sustainable processes

• Eco-Institut: Hazardous emissions and chemical substances in textiles and building materials

• Global Recycled Standard: Environmentally healthy and sustainable practices

• CertiPUR-US: Certification for chemical emissions in polyfoam

• Cradle to Cradle: Sustainable criteria for organic fibers

Green Mattresses

Designed with the needs of women in mind, Lilybed was co-founded by a woman and takes a woman first approach. The mattress is designed to be universally comfortable for nearly every body type, lifestyle, and climate, with the perfect balance of comfort for women as well as men.

Lilybed meets Consumer Product Safety Commission standards for VOCs. Its memory foam layer is Certi-Pur certified. The Lilybed is protected by a fire sock in compliance with national and state industry regulations.

Avocado Mattress makes sustainability a key priority. The company is dedicated to promoting healthy indoor environments with nontoxic, eco-friendly and

sustainably produced mattresses and pillows.

The company is Green America certified for social and environmental responsibility and a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. Avocado’s mattress and pillow hold the Greenguard Gold certification, their latex is certified by the eco-Institut, their wool is certified by OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and their cotton is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard. Avocado participates in 1% for the planet, and there are many women working in leadership positions with Avocado Mattress.

Essentia was created to address the issue of toxins in mattresses. They developed a memory foam made from natural ingredients with attention to consumer health and product quality.

Essentia sources materials including Dunlop latex made from Hevea milk, organic essential oils, natural plant extracts, and organic cotton. Their mattresses are vegan and contain no animal products. Certifications include GOLS, GOTS, EuroLatex ECO-Standard, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and Green America Gold.

Selina Hall is an expert on sleep health and wellness for BestMattressReviews.com. She believes that sleep is one of the most important pillars of health. Selina lives in Portland, Oregon. She sleeps best under a handmade quilt passed down from her great-grandmother.