Why Organic
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Our Innerspring or Natural Rubber Organic Mattress
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Conventional Mattress |
| Ticking |
certified organic cotton |
polyester or cotton-polyester
blend often with water, stain, wrinkle resistant chemicals |
Quilt Packing
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pure wool
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polyurethane foam |
| Padding |
certified organic cotton & pure wool |
polyurethane foam |
| Coil |
no oil or plastic coating |
oil or plastic coating |
| Flame-Retardants |
wool is natural flame retardant |
polyurethane foam
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- Certified Organic Cotton for Our Crib Mattress & Bedding:
Our manufacturer buys only handpicked organic cotton. The crop is cultivated in a centuries-old traditional cooperative manner in the Cañete and Chincha valleys high in the Peruvian Andes. No defoliants, herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers are used to control plant growth, fight pests, or fertilize the crop. No synthetic chemicals are used to strip the leaves in preparation for the harvest or during the manufacturing process. Handpicking ensures that the resulting cotton fiber is the cleanest, purest, most resilient available. The fiber is then woven in Germany and Switzerland to the highest standards into the fine and soft fabrics.
- Pure Wool for Our Crib Mattress & Bedding:
Our pure wool comes from a small island in Texel, Netherlands, where a family-run business takes exceptional pride in its organic production methods. The sheep are carefully bred and live a stress-free life. During the summer months, the animals graze on land that has never been used for agriculture, guaranteeing that it is free from contaminants such as pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers. In winter, a well-ventilated, climate-controlled barn with clean floors is stocked daily with fresh bedding and a non-rationed organic food supply. The animals are also checked daily for continued health. The fleeces are shorn from live sheep, carefully sorted, and washed with only hot water and vegetable-based soaps containing no detergents, chemicals, or chlorine bleach. The fleeces are then processed without the use of oils or bonding agents into wool that retains between 4 percent and 6 percent lanolin, a natural dust-mite repellent. Moreover, our manufacturer does not permit the use of plastic, baling twine, or mothballs during the shipment.
- Natural Rubber for Our Crib Mattress & Bedding:
Our natural rubber is harvested by tapping the milk of Hevea brasiliensis, the common rubber tree. The trees grow in North Malaysian plantations especially selected for their high-quality product. No herbicides are used in these operations, because sheep graze the plantations and control growth. Our manufacturer also arranges for the Hevea milk to be processed close to the plantations, because the raw product destabilizes when kept too long. Other manufacturers avoid the problem by adding chemicals. Our pledge to bring you the purest products possible means that the rubber milk harvested in the morning is molded into sheets by mid-afternoon and is soon shipped to our manufacturer’s Canadian mattress plant. By having our rubber manufactured where the trees’ milk is harvested, we also help to sustain the local economy. Jobs are created without depleting the natural resources of the country.
- Water, Stain, Wrinkle Resistant Chemicals in Conventional Mattress:
One popular treatment is DuPont’s Teflon®, the same product used as a “non-stick” coating on pans. In the past few years, it has been discovered that Teflon’s chemical building bloc, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), is now widespread in the environment and in humans. Due to concerns about the environmental persistence and health effects of Teflon’s building blocks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began an investigation, which has resulted in huge fines for DuPont. A few studies show that PFOA causes “developmental toxicity and other effects” in laboratory animals. There is also concern about possible health effects to workers. Scotchgard, a treatment made by 3M, was once made of chemical similar to that in Teflon. However, 3M removed the products from the market between 2000-02 and then reintroduced a reformulated version of the Scotchgard line in 2003 using a compound related to PFOA. 3M says it has performed numerous studies and worked with EPA to ensure the safety of the chemical. However, the studies remain confidential and have not been released.
- Polyurethane in Conventional Mattress:
Many sources claim mattresses and other upholstered furniture that contain polyurethane foam are often treated with brominated flame-retardants, also known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Recent studies have shown that brominated flame-retardants persist in human and animal tissue for many years and that they may have similar action, and perhaps health effects, as the now banned PCBs and DDT. There has been evidence that some PBDEs can interfere with thyroid hormone, which is critical to the development of the fetus.
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organic |
conventional
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seed preparation
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Natural untreated GMO free seeds
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Typically treated with fungicides or inscticides. Possible GMOs.
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soil preparation
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Healthy soil through crop rotation. Retains moisture in soil from increased organic matter.
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Synthtic fertilizers used. Loss of soil due to mono crop culture and intensive irrigation.
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weed control
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Healthy soil creates natural balance. Beneficial insects and trap crops are used.
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Aerial spraying of insecticides and pesticides. 9 of the most commonly used pesticides are known as cancer-causing agents.
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harvesting
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Natural defoliation from freezing temperatures or through the use of water management
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Defoliation is induced with toxic chemicals.
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| production |
Warp fibers are stabilized using double plying or non-toxic cornstarch.
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Warp fibers are stabilized using toxic waxes. |
| whitening |
Safe peroxide is used.
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Chlorine bleaching creates toxic bi-products which are released into the environment.
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finishing
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Soft Scour in warm water with soda ash for a PH of 7.5-8.
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Hot water, synthetic surfactants, additional chemicals and sometimes formaldehyde are used. Formaldehyde is found in forest fire smoke, automobile exhaust and tobacco smoke. Formaldehyde can cause headache and a burning sensation on the throat as well as aggravate asthma symptoms and allergies.
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| softening |
Natural soybean softening
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Petroleum-based softening
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dying
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Low-impact fiber-reactive or natural dyes with low metal and sulfur content.
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High temperature with heavy metals and sulfur content. |
| printing |
Low-impact or natural pigments with no heavy metals. |
Heavy metals in pigments run off into waterways polluting streams. |
| Price |
Initial cost is more expensive but longterm benefit is priceless.
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Initially cheaper but longterm impact on environment is devastating. |
source: www.harmonyart.com
German government approved and IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) accredited inspection body for organic production method, quality management, inspection & certification, internal control, training regional quality seals, beef labeling system.
Demeter International is an International Biodynamic Certification Agency. International Demeter Production and Processing Standards insure that not only do members exclude the use of synthetic fertilizers and chemical plant protection agents in agricultural crop production, or artificial additives during processing and packaging, but also require very specific measures to strengthen the life processes in soil and foodstuffs. Strict annual inspection is mandatory to maintain Demeter Certification.
KRAV is Swedish organic certification agency authorized by the Swedish National Board of Agriculture and the Swedish National Food Administration. KRAV is accredited by IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) and its standards meet the EEC regulation for organic production. KRAV standards include regulations for crop and animal production, processing, textiles, retailing, catering, and importing.
Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is a globally uniform testing and certification system for textile raw materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of production. It was introduced in early 1990s to satisfy both demands of textiles-no risk to health and fashionable & functional properties.
Its laboratory tests currently comprise around 100 test parameters based on international test standards:
-substances prohibited by law such as carcinogenic dyestuffs -substances regulated by law such as formaldehyde, softeners, heavy metals or pentachlorophenol
-substances harmful to health according to current knowledge, but not yet regulated or prohibited by law such as pesticides, allergy, inducing dyestuffs or tin-organic compounds
-precautionary measures to safeguard consumers’ heath such as colorfastness and a skin-friendly pH-value
Textile with Oeko Tex certification assures users that the level of above chemicals in the products is below Oeko Tex criteria and therefore does not impose any health issues to human.
Skal is a Dutch inspection and certification body for the organic production. It is accredited by Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Skal’s rules for organic production are based on the EU-regulation.<
