What Is a Vegan Mattress?
Most people associate veganism with eating only plant-based food. But veganism encompasses much more than this! It involves living an entirely plant-based lifestyle.
Sleep hygiene includes your sleeping environment. Some mattresses contain materials derived from animal slaughterhouses that release harmful toxins that penetrate through to your skin while you rest.
Natural Fibres
As veganism becomes increasingly mainstream, many are opting for mattresses free from animal by-products – including wool-filled options – in their search for an ideal vegan mattress solution. However, that shouldn’t stop them finding excellent vegan mattress solutions!
Searching online for vegan mattresses will likely lead to synthetic memory foam mattresses; this is unfortunate as the best vegan mattress options feature natural fibres which offer much greater comfort and eco-friendliness.
Natural fibres such as flax, coir and hemp have long been utilized as resilient plant textiles. Their naturally breathable qualities outclass synthetic fabrics in terms of breathability while outperforming synthetic mattresses by far. Furthermore, natural fibres store carbon instead of using up oil during production like polyester does – providing more eco-friendly production methods than polyester does.
Choose a natural vegan mattress to reduce animal fibre use such as wool, feathers and horsehair. This choice is better for the environment as wool often gets removed from live sheep and then discarded; furthermore there have been documented cases of physical abuse within the wool industry.
The best natural vegan mattress features a combination of natural latex and coconut fibre husk foam encased by organic cotton and tencel to provide superior spinal support and ensure there are no allergenic components present. Wool allergies may also benefit from using this mattress without wool included!
Polyester
Polyester often gets an unfair reputation and many mistakenly believe that it cannot be used as part of a vegan mattress. But polyester is actually an extremely strong, breathable and long-term fiber – not made from animal products! When shopping for polyester mattresses make sure they feature certifications such as GOTS or GreenGuard on their labels to indicate it has been made from organic cotton without harsh chemicals added as fillers.
Natural latex mattresses provide another vegan-friendly mattress option, as this naturally breathable and supportive material resists mold, mildew, bacteria and insects. When looking for vegan mattresses certified as GOLS or GOTS to ensure organic rubber tree plants were used during production processes.
Traditional mattresses contain harmful chemicals that are detrimental to both the environment and human health, making it necessary to search for vegan mattresses free from synthetic foams and flame retardants such as boric acid or polyols. Also avoid materials containing formaldehyde which can irritate your nose, throat or lungs.
Organic Cotton
Most people think of veganism in terms of eating plants-only diet, yet being vegan goes much deeper. Vegans reject products made with animal-derived materials such as wool and leather – therefore when searching for mattresses it’s essential that they meet this standard – for instance many boxed mattresses advertise themselves as vegan while actually using synthetic materials such as polyester instead.
Finding out if a mattress is vegan-friendly can be easy: look out for the PETA-Approved Vegan or GOTS certification logo to confirm that no animal-derived materials were used during production and no animals were harmed in its creation.
Organic cotton should also be taken into consideration when looking for mattresses, as it’s grown without pesticides and provides a breathable and hypoallergenic surface. GOTS certified mattresses use organic cotton that has met these standards while not containing harmful chemicals that could pose potential threats.
When choosing a natural latex mattress, make sure it meets GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification as well as Cradle to Cradle CertificationTM standards. This will guarantee that it’s free from harmful toxins associated with ozone pollution, respiratory illness and memory impairment and manufactured using sustainable processes.
Latex
There are few vegan mattresses on the market, but you have options when it comes to finding one. Avocado offers natural latex mattresses; other brands may feature recycled steel coils with organic cotton from GOTS or USDA certification; there’s even Tencel closed-loop vegan foam and wood-based eco-mattress options to consider!
When purchasing a mattress, make sure that its manufacturer uses organic rather than synthetic latex, as this will be more ethical and healthier for the environment. Also look out for certification from GreenGuard or GOTS or both for materials which are free from chemicals.
A vegan mattress must be breathable and free from flame retardant chemicals; consider purchasing one that complies with Stockholm Convention. Many plant-based fibers contain chemical fire retardants which may be toxic if inhaled directly or absorbed through skin contact.
Selecting a vegan mattress can increase your quality of sleep while helping protect animals, the environment, and yourself. Most mainstream mattresses contain harmful toxins like formaldehyde, benzene and heavy metals which release into the air when off-gassing occurs – known to cause numerous health problems including memory loss.
