As the public concern for the hygiene, health, and betterment of the environment is growing, mattress manufacturers have shifted their goals toward the well-being of planet Earth. When you head out to the market to look for a new mattress for your home, you definitely would not want it to include hazardous ingredients that may trigger allergies, aggravate the current disease, and cause potential harm to human and environmental health. Organic mattress certifications help us choose healthier and sustainable alternatives so that we continue living a safe and hygienic life.
To make sure your mattress is free from pollutants, chemical retardants, and potentially harmful ingredients, look for certifications on the product packaging. Organic Mattress certifications signify that the product has been tested and scrutinized against specifically defined standards to ensure environmental, societal, and economic betterment.
Choosing a mattress that is certified to be organic, safe, and toxin-free is crucial. A Certified mattress depicts the fact that the product was manufactured under fair work practices while using ingredients that are pure and natural with the least possible chemical emissions.
Organic Mattress Certifications
Our team has compiled some of the most widely acknowledged organic mattress certifications to help our readers comprehend their significance in the bedding market. Once you get hold of the concept, you will be able to shop for a better mattress for the health and wellbeing of your family and your surroundings. The compiled list is as follows:
- Oeko Tex Standard
- Greenguard
- Organic Content Standard Certification
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
- Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS)
- Cradle to Cradle
- CeritiPUR-US
- Rain Forest Alliance
- Forest Stewardship Council
- ECO INSTITUT
- Made Safe
- Non-GMO Verified
- Green America
- USDA Certified Organic
1. Oeko Tex Standard
The Oeko Tex Standard certification is one of the most popular organic mattress certifications. It certifies that certain textiles and mattresses are manufactured without any trace of harmful chemical substances. The certified products neither contain toxins nor release harmful emissions.
A mattress with an Oeko Tex Standard label has no trace of toxins and all the components in the mechanism fully meet the criteria for chemical limitations.
The purpose of the certification is to limit the release of harmful chemical substances including formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds.
To earn an Oeko Tex Standard label, a brand has to make sure it employs no flame retardants, harmful dyes, toxic colors, and other hazardous chemical compounds.
However, there is no specific information available that whether the materials employed in the construction of the goods should all be organic or synthetically produced.
The process of earning the certification is pretty vigorous. The product is tested for several different harmful chemicals, lead, colorants, phthalates, and pesticides.
A mattress that carries the Oeko Tex Standard label, means it has been thoroughly investigated and found to have no AZO dyes, allergenic colorants, carcinogenic colors, VOCs, and chlorinated phenols.
It’s a voluntary certification and has to be updated every year to keep an active status. A lot of manufacturers face delays in the certificate update due to various reasons. If you find a mattress with an expired certification, do not disregard it immediately. Nevertheless, you should always prefer an up-to-date certificate.
The certification puts limits on the hazardous emission of chemicals that are somewhat related to
- smog
- respiratory infections
- Ozone layer
- memory deterioration
2. Greenguard
Greenguard and GreenGuard Gold certifications certify that a mattress has been constructed without VOCs (Volatile organic compounds) and there is a little or no chance for such emissions.
There are two variations for the certifications: one is GreenGuard, and the other one is GreenGuard Gold. The purpose of both the certifications is to restrict the VPOCs’ emissions with GreenGuard Gold being stricter in its criterion.
These certifications are among a few most popular green certifications and test a fully manufactured mattress for certain kinds of emissions of formaldehyde and VOCs. Mattresses certified by GreenGuard provide the reassurance that the product has little or no chemical emissions.
The certified mattresses are safe for kids and people with breathing issues, especially for those with asthma and respiratory allergies.
None of these certifications fully certify that a mattress is completely safe from harmful toxins.
3. Organic Content Standard Certification
The Organic Content Standard Certification testifies that mattresses are made using 95% of organic material. The program makes sure that the raw material is tracked right from the moment it was sourced to the end of the production phase. A brand carrying the label demonstrates that all the material used in the manufacturing process is verified to be organic.
The certification refers to the inclusion of verified organic substances and does not point towards the inclusion of VOCs, harmful dyes, flame retardants, and colorants.
The purpose of the certification is to reinforce the production of organic materials and agriculture.
The OCS certification verifies every stage in the manufacturing process including the material being used in the harvesting and post-harvesting phases, product manufacturing, packaging, labeling, storage, handling, and trading.
4. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification is one of the widely acclaimed organic mattress certifications. It attests that a mattress is made up of at least 70% natural, pure, and organic fibers.
A mattress certified with GOTS means that it has been built and designed using pure and natural material with little or no trace of synthetic components.
To earn a GOTS certification, a mattress manufacturer has to make sure that at least 95 percent of the stuff used in the manufacturing process of its products is certified to be organic. The brand has to make sure that even the leftover 5% has no trace of harmful chemical substances such as polyurethane and flame retardants.
It’s one of the widely acknowledged certifications to testify the use of organic fibers and materials. It has set a standard worldwide to test products for the inclusion of harmful chemical substances that are hazardous to the well-being of people and their surrounding environment.
GOTS-certified fabrics are also testified as ecologically and socially safe.
The purpose of the certification is to make sure that pure and organic fabrics and materials are employed in the design and construction of goods.
When you are shopping for a mattress and spot a GOTS label, rest assured that the product is produced with pure natural fabrics.
The certification helps the manufacturers in trading their premium quality organic textiles with a globally acknowledged certification that is recognized in markets all over the world.
5. Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS)
The Global Latex Standard-GOLS certification certifies that a latex mattress is made up of 95% of pure and natural latex, with the least chemical compositions involved in the latex and non-latex parts of the mattress.
GOLS-certified mattresses have restricted emissions of VOCs with no trace of flame retardants and other harmful chemical substances. For a mattress to be considered safe and hygienic for personal and environmental use, the latex employed in the manufacturing process must be organic.
An organic latex mattress may have both GOLS and GOTS certificates that indicate that cotton fibers and latex employed in the construction are pure and organic.
To earn a GOLS certification, a manufacturer must follow the relevant guidelines throughout the entire process of manufacturing a mattress. From design to construction, packaging to labeling, every stage in the developmental process should meet the criteria set by GOLS.
The certification has also made it essential for the candidates to make sure that any chemical substances, fillers, or polymers used in the process of manufacturing the product must have limited harmful emissions.
The GOLS makes use of transaction labels that follow the product throughout the sale process. The certification can be traced at any time during the process of supplying goods to the consumer.
6. Cradle to Cradle
Cradle to Cradle is a widely acknowledged eco-certification but is yet to gain recognition in the bedding market. It offers different levels of certification for various products.
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is a non-profit organization that testifies that goods are produced without the inclusion of child labor or any other cruel practices that exploit the rights of laborers and the workforce.
It’s essentially a third-party certification program that carries the social responsibility to ensure that labor rights are fulfilled and respected.
The certification is aimed at measuring the societal and environmental sustainability of a mattress at five levels including material safety, reuse of material, water stewardship, social equality, and, renewable energy and carbon management.
Part of the certification program is awarded to candidates who make products that can be used and reused. The material must be recyclable and should not contain toxins and harmful substances
The certification can be earned by mattress manufacturers for the raw material they use in the production phase. The end product must also be reusable in a way that uplifts its overall value.
The Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard label is given to products that are environmentally friendly and made using hygienic and safe work practices.
The certification program has a Material Assessment Rating System named ABC-X.
- The material employed in construction is ideal
- The material used in the manufacturing process meets the objectives set by the program
- Material with a little problem is considered acceptable
X- Material with hazardous properties is rejected
The Cradle to Cradle certification has five levels including basic, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.
7. CertiPUR-US
The Certi-PUR-US certification is awarded to mattresses built with Polyurethane Foam that is durable, has the least VOC emissions, and includes no hazardous chemical substances.
To get the CertiPUR-US label, brands must use foam that is produced without lead, phthalates, flame retardants, and toxins. This, however, does not mean that the foam is completely free of harmful chemical substances. The certification only limits the release of VOCs.
8. Rain Forest Alliance
The rain forest alliance certification verifies production and manufacturing practices related to forest production. The certification sets forth five major principles that reinforce the betterment and enhancement of the production practices:
- To plan and manage productively
- To conserve biodiversity
- To conserve natural resources
- To improve the wellbeing and sustenance of all humans
- To sustain the cattle production
A product labeled with Rainforest Alliance Certification means that it was produced by harvesters, foresters, and brands by working in collaboration for social, environmental, and economical betterment.
9. Forest Stewardship Council
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification means that a brand complies with the stated social and environmental standards within the market.
People are now more than ever concerned about the well-being of forests and natural resources and this certification provides the public with a reliable standard to measure the social and environmental practices involved in the production of goods.
It makes sure that the products are made by using material that comes from properly supervised forests. It results in economic, environmental, and social betterment.
10. ECO INSTITUT
ECO INSTITUT is a Europe-based certification program that provides certifications for various practices related to the material employed in the manufacturing of goods and products.
The Eco Institut Standard is based in Europe and offers certifications related to substances used in manufacturing and the manufacturing process. The certification simply means that a certain product is safe for household use.
It checks the products for toxic emissions, outgassing, and the presence of pollutants and glass fibers.
11. Made Safe
A Made Safe certified mattress means that it has been produced with material and substances safe for human health and well-being.
Materials used in the manufacturing of a product are investigated by scientists in labs to determine their possible effects on human health. The certification makes sure that the product does not contain any hazardous chemical ingredient and tests for harmful outgassing, and emissions.
12. Non-GMO Verified
A Non-GMO verified mattress means that it’s made from ingredients that are not modified genetically or produced synthetically in labs. This reinforces better harvest and post-harvest practices of certain products that will most likely benefit the local farmers in the long run.
13. Green America
Green America certification aims to certify manufacturers and brands with the ideology to produce goods meant for the betterment of society on the whole. A Green America labeled mattress means that it was produced keeping in mind the wellbeing of planet earth.
Certified businesses can show off their earned labels to depict that their mattresses were manufactured by using socially and economically just practices with special emphasis on environmental health and wellbeing.
14. USDA Certified Organic
The USDA label on a mattress means that the products involved in the manufacturing process were grown and harvested according to the defined organic standards.
A certified organic label means that 95% of the material in a mattress is organic and pure. A mattress made with an organic label means that 70% to 94% of the total material involved in the production process is organic.
Only “certified organic” products can carry the label. The material used in mattress manufacturing can be wool, linen, hemp, or cotton.
The certification makes sure that the fabric used in the production of the mattress is grown and harvested according to the USDA guidelines for food with no inclusion of pesticides and artificial fertilizers.
However, the USDA organic label does not focus on toxins that may be present in the non-organic material used in the mattress manufacturing process.
Conclusion
A mattress is undoubtedly a significant investment for you and your family. All of us spend a major portion of our day on our beds and would never want it to harm our health. To make sure a mattress is free from pollutants, harmful chemicals, and hazardous ingredients, look for organic mattress certifications labeled on the product packaging.
Prefer mattresses with one or more of the above-discussed certifications to make a healthier choice not just for you but for your surrounding environment too.
FAQs
Q 1: Which mattress is the most environmentally friendly?
Ans: A mattress that is manufactured by using organic fabric and natural raw material with little or no VOCs/chemical emissions is considered safe for human and environmental health.
Q 2: What makes a bed organic?
Ans: An organic mattress is made up of toxin-free and fully certified pure and natural materials such as cotton, latex, and wool. A mattress is considered fully organic if there is zero involvement of synthetic material in its construction and packaging.
Q 3: What is toxic in mattresses?
Ans: Mattresses emit a small number of gasses and chemicals called VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These substances usually come from synthetically produced materials such as polyurethane and certain other chemical compounds. These emissions are toxic and potentially harmful to human health.
Q 4: Which mattresses are non-toxic?
Ans: Mattresses that are labeled with certifications such as CertiPUR-US, Greenguard Gold, GOLS, GOTS, and OEKO-TEX are considered safe and free from toxins and harmful chemical ingredients.