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Over the past few years, we’ve seen a major shift in people’s attitudes towards sustainability. Our wardrobe choices are getting more conscious, our travel habits slower and “greener”,even our periods can be more planet-friendly. There’s always room to elevate an environmentally-mindful lifestyle, though, and what better way than with an at-home swap that begins long before you start your day and is so easy, you can do it with your eyes shut? Yes, we’re talking about bedding and organic mattresses.
The rise in direct-to-consumer bedding brands not only translates to higher-quality goods for fairer prices, but also better environmental practices, from the softest sheet sets made with chemical- and cruelty-free manufacturing to partially biodegradable-fill comforters, certified-organic mattresses, fair-trade pillows, and beyond. In addition to premium eco-friendly products, many of these companies also partner with environmental protection groups to promote social action — whether it’s planting a tree per purchase, exploring cleaner energy options, or minimizing water consumption.
To help you on your sustainable sleep journey, we’ve rounded up the top eco-conscious companies that are redefining our concept of what the best sustainability-minded bedding and mattresses look and feel like — along with all the deals you can score. Plus, we’ve talked to the experts about how best to read through the greenwashing and distinguish the best of the bunch.
Scroll ahead to take a proactive step toward a more eco-friendly life, starting from the comfort of your own bed.
Ashlee Piper, author of Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet understands how overwhelming mindful shopping can be, especially when there’s so much information out there. Her advice? Do your research and take your time.
“I think of sustainability as more of a ‘choose your own adventure,’ rather than a hard-and-fast set of rules,” she says. “Not everything works for everyone, so you need to decide your priorities. Do you care about fabrication? Worker treatment? Manufacturing processes? All of these? Once you define your priorities, you can make more aligned, sustainable decisions that fit your life. Personally, I always look for items that are cruelty-free and vegan, are fair trade whenever possible, prioritize worker treatment and ownership options, and embrace innovative, low-impact manufacturing, like low-waste patterns and carbon-neutral factories.”
The first thing that Anna Turns, an environmental journalist and author of Go Toxic Free: Easy and Sustainable Ways to Reduce Chemical Pollution, looks for when shopping herself are reputable third-party certifications that assure you that brands comply with stringent sourcing and manufacturing practices, or that the materials they use comply with sustainable regulations. Many require periodic retesting, and, when brands have earned them, it means they’re really putting their money where their mouth is, and aren’t simply using greenwashing buzzwords to grab customers (especially ince terms like “sustainable,” “eco,” “green,” and “chemical-free” aren’t regulated). These kinds of verifications and information about brands’ materials and practices should be easy to find on their websites. If not, it may be that their sustainability claims haven’t been independently verified.
Certifications that Turns recommends looking for include:
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): The leading textile processing standard for organic fibers,GOTS considers the entire textile supply chain, including how the material is sourced, the factory and its manufacturing practices, and the finished product. GOTS-certified organic cotton is grown without synthetic insecticides, herbicides, or GMOs.
GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard): This certification is found in latex mattresses classified as organic. It means that the producers of the latex followed eco-friendly methods of deriving sap from rubber trees, and processed it in a way that was safe and organic.
Oeko-Tex: This certification is part of the International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology. It confirms the safety of textile and leather products at all stages of production, and sometimes attests to the social and environmental conditions of a product.
Made Safe: Made Safe is described as “the only human health and ecosystem-focused certification system.” Brands with the Made Safe verification mark are screened to make sure they have avoided over 6,500 banned or restricted substances.
GreenGuard: This certification marks low-chemical-emission products, compliance with key chemical emission standards, and a commitment to healthier manufacturing environments.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): A worldwide trusted label, this is a mark of sustainable forestry practices, environmental conservation, community rights, and a fair, equal work environment.
eco-INSTITUT Label: This is a laboratory-tested certification awarded to products deemed both low-pollutant and low-emission, and isused for the testing of mattresses.
Climate Neutral Certification: This certification means a company is accountable for its greenhouse gas emissions. To earn the label, they must annually measure “cradle-to-customer” emissions (from when a product is first made right up until it’s in the customer’s hands), implement specific action plans to reduce these emissions, and invest in high-quality, verified carbon credits.
Along with considering what materials the bedding is made of, Turns also says it’s crucial to consider “the entire lifecycle” of a product. How was it made? How is it packaged and shipped? How will it be disposed of? “True sustainability stems from designing out waste,” she says.
Brands with a more sustainable “circular design philosophy” prioritize things like multi-use or recyclable packaging, work to offset their carbon footprint, offer a take-back system for old mattresses, or consider what will happen when a mattress is dismantled, and how the materials can be reused or recycled.
Of course, the most sustainable approach to bedding is to repair and re-use what you can. That can mean investing in quality, durable materials that will last you. Piper is a big fan of linen for this purpose.
“Flax grows plentifully with little water, and linen has a fabulous lifespan that gets better with every wash and use,” she explains. “I mend my bedding when it gets little rips and tears. And when their use is exhausted as bedding, linen makes fabulous dishcloths and cleaning rags for around the house, and can be composted (if naturally dyed) when it’s totally threadbare.”
Deal: 20% off at checkout for Friends and Family Sale. Discount applied at checkout using code FRIENDSANDFAM. Also, save up to 40% off bedding bundles.
Did you know that everyone’s favorite luxe bedding and towel brand makes Oeko-Tex-certified linen sheets? These sheets, made from European flax linen, come in 14 different colorways and will keep things breezy all summer but warm all winter.
Deal: 15% off bedding bundles and an additional 20% off sale items (up to 70% off) for a limited time.
In 2022, Parachute Home earned its Climate Neutral certification, and its core products all boast Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certificationThe brand continues to make commitments to sustainability, aiming to increase its use of “Parachute Preferred Materials” to 70% by 2035. (Currently, it’s at 35%.) This refers to GOTS-certified organic materials, sustainably sourced, biodegradable Tencel Lyocell wood fibers, and GRS recycled polyester to replace its allergy-friendly down alternative and support low-intervention farming methods throughout.
Deal: 20% off sitewide from now for Buffy’s Fall Sale.
Buffy’s super soft comforters are made with a Tencel eucalyptus lyocell fiber shell, which has both FSC and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certifications. Its fluffy fitting is made using recycled water bottles. The brand claims it saves 50 bottles from landfills and 12 geese per cozy comforter.
Deal: Up to 25% off on bedding bundles.
Not only does Quince make our favorite cashmere cardigan (a travel go-to, according to senior writer Venus Wong), but it also offers quite the selection of excellently-priced and highly-rated organic cotton and Oeko-Tex-certified European linen bedding.
Fashion and homeware brand Pact uses GOTS and Fair Trade Certified suppliers for its materials. It also works with SimpliZero to measure the impact of each product and offset it through reforestation, renewable energy, and community products and runs a Give Back Box donation program, through which it collects gently-used clothing and donates to nonprofits in need.
Deal: Up to 25% off for fall.
Founded over 30 years ago in Northern California, this Fair Trade and Made Safe-certified brand focuses on using organically farmed materials, which have 60% less carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas output than conventional farming. It mindfully processes these chemical-free fibers for the softest, most sustainable bedding. The goods — free of toxic dyes, softeners, and other unwanted chemicals — range from apparel to bed and bath essentials that are waste-efficient and luxuriously comfortable.
The Citizenry is a Fair Trade-certified, direct-to-consumer home goods retailer offering quality handcrafted creations in limited quantities. By partnering with artisans from around the world, it cuts out the middleman and directly supports local communities. Its cotton bedding and bath towels are also both GOTS and Oeko-Tex certified.
This company delivers on its founder’s dream of creating bedding that’s “as soft as silk, as sustainable as hemp, as breathable as linen, but at the price of cotton.” Each luxurious piece — from sheets to sleepwear and even bath essentials — is sustainably sourced and packaged, using its own patented CleanBamboo fiber: a lyocell made from organic bamboo, processed with a food-grade organic solvent. Unlike other fabrics made with pesticides, this fiber is 100% free of toxins and Class I baby safe certified by Oeko-Tex.
Deal: 30% off sitewide for a limited time.
Touted as sustainable, organic, fair trade, and transparent, SÕL Organics’ premium bedding is free of everything from pesticides to herbicides. The company’s tagline — “making ethical luxury affordable” with “equal pay for all” — puts an appropriately comforting seal on its sheet bundles, made from 100% organic and fair-trade-certified cotton and Oeko-Tex-certified European linen.
Saatva makes high-quality reader-favorite mattresses in the U.S. at 14 strategically-placed factories to cut transport emissions. Going even further, it partners with Evertreen to plant trees and offset its footprint. Saatva is also a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, and its mattresses are made with GOTS-certified organic cotton, GOLS-certified latex, and REPREVE recycled polyester. The mattresses are also both GreenGuard Gold-certified and eco-INSTITUT-certified, meaning they don’t have even trace amounts of hazardous chemicals.
Deal: Save 20% off bedding bundles.
Bed Thread sheets are all made from cooling flax linen, which requires less water and fewer pesticides to cultivate, compared to other materials. Plus, the brand has carbon-neutral manufacturing, and its packaging is proudly plastic-free. You can also build a bundle by mixing and matching its 25 colorways, made with natural dyes. It’s a great option for people who want a great night’s sleep on sheets that exactly match their taste.
All of Cultiver’s European linen goods are Oeko-Tex-certified, ensuring the high quality, traceability, and quality of their flax.
Deal: Save up to $1,100 on a mattress for the Autumn Slumber Sale.
This green bedding brand is a certified B Corp specializing in handmade-in-California mattresses, crafted from premium natural, non-toxic, and organic materials. Each product comes with a GreenGuard Gold certification by UL Environment for low hazardous emissions, and 2% of the brand’s annual revenue is donated to nonprofit organizations.
Boll & Branch offers a stacked lineup of consciously-designed mattresses, pillows, bath essentials, and sheet sets. All of these products are ethically sourced following the company’s commitment to sustainable business and people-first ethics (e.g., mandating fair wages and business practices, using FSC-certified recyclable packaging, ensuring products are fully traceable). It was also the first-ever linen manufacturer to be fully Fair Trade certified.
Deal: Add any mattress, mattress protector, down alternative pillow set, and sheet set to your cart and save 15% with the code MATTRESS15.
Not only is every Tuft & Needle mattress GreenGuard Gold and CertiPUR-US certified and its bedding Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and GOTS certified, it also gives back to good causes, donating to One Tree Planted, a reforestation nonprofit, and Out of the Closet, an organization that funds HIV/AIDS programs.
Deal: Up to 20% off sitewide for fall.
Eucalypso Home is an ISO Standard, Oeko-Tex, PEFC and FSC-certified brand. Its products are made with 100% certified Tencel Lyocell derived from eucalyptus (hence the name),created with a closed-loop process, so nearly all water and solvents are reused or recycled, minimizing its ecological impact.
Deal: Use code FALL20 at checkout for 20% off sitewide.
With a mission to create products for a safer, healthier sleep, Naturepedic produces organic, Made Safe-certified mattresses free of all toxic chemicals and made with GOTS-certified organic cotton, and GOLS and FSC-certified organic latex. It also stocks a range of high-quality bedding accessories, from protector pads to sheets and pillowcases, also with many of the same certifications. In 2024, it became the first brand to meet the EWG Verified: Mattresses standard.
Deal: 15% off with bedding bundles.
Magic Linen’s bedding sets are made from 100% European flax, sourced either from Lithuania (where the brand is based) or surrounding countries to minimize the carbon footprint of its supply chain. All of its linen products are also Oeko-Tex certified, which means they’re free from harmful substances. Lastly, the manufacturing is run on a made-to-order system to minimize waste; any leftover fabric is repurposed into other products like its Zero-Waste Tea Towels and Double Oven Mitts.
Under the Canopy offers sustainably produced bedding and bath products at wallet-friendly prices. It adheres to four certifications: Fair Trade, GOTS, Oeko-Tex, and FSC.
Deal: Up to 25% off on select items in the Cozy Earth Anniversary Sale.
This Oprah-approved brand stocks everything from super-soft, temperature-regulated sleepwear to bedding that’s ethically crafted and certified chemical-free, using Oeko-Tex-certified materials (linen and organic bamboo free of toxic dyes and other chemicals) and within a closed loop production system.
Kotn is a certified B Corp focused on making timeless designs with natural fibers that are sourced directly from the Better Cotton Initiative and small, family-run farms in Egypt. Its duvet cover and sham sets are made from luxurious, 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton satin and come in nine perfectly muted shades.
Deal: Save 10% off on blanket bundles.
Bearaby is the stylish and sustainable brand behind those chunky-knit weighted blankets you’ve probably been spotting, well, everywhere. The company prides itself on producing an ocean-friendly, plastic-free alternative to many of the other weighted blankets on the market that use pollutive fillers. Each of Bearaby’s “Nappers” is crafted from layers of organic cotton and Tencel, which are woven together to achieve a natural weighted finish that is both hypoallergenic and machine washable.
Sijo’s AiryWeight sheets are made with the pulp of FSC and PEFC-certified eucalyptus wood, are Oeko-Tex-certified, and are naturally cool and breathable, moisture-wicking, hypoallergenic, and antimicrobial.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
The Absolute Best Cooling Sheets
We Snoozed On & Reviewed The Best Mattresses
The Best Linen Sheets To Buy For Sweet-Free Sleep
This article was originally published on refinery29.com.
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