BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Earthfoam Makes Mattresses With Natural Rubber Rather Than Polyurethane

Following

Will you get a better night’s sleep on a “natural” mattress? Earthfoam thinks so. The reviews are good and the Illinois company boasts six certifications for meeting fair trade, organic, safety and emissions standards.

Earthfoam also makes pillows and mattress toppers. The namesake material consists of natural rubber layered with “breathable wool and soft quilted cotton.”

The renewable rubber is sustainably sourced from trees in Sri Lanka, where the company has established The Fair for Life Development Fund to support farmers and farmworkers.

“When Earthfoam purchases natural rubber from rubber tree farms,” the company says in a news release, “a percentage of that purchase goes back to a cooperative of farmers and workers to use as they see fit to better their community and working conditions through projects such as building access roads, providing medical services, and more.”

The wool used for Earthfoam comes from a farmer-owned collective in New Zealand, the company says. The cotton is grown in India and Turkey without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizer and processed in certified organic factories in Canada, Germany and Pakistan.

MORE FROM FORBESThe Best Type Of Mattress For You, According To Health Pros

Using rubber harkens back to the old mattress days, before cheaper, petroleum-based polyurethane foam came along (now used in most mattresses sold today and linked to concerns about chemical off-gassing.)

Earthfoam Founder and CEO Karl Shevick got his start in the textiles and manufacturing industry but found himself “confused and frustrated by the lack of transparency when it comes to buying a mattress.”

Earthfoam’s singular goal, according to Shevick, is “to offer an honest product that brings sustainability to the forefront without sacrificing function or form.” They call it an independent, family-owned company “making mattresses delightful from tree and sheep to shop and sleep.”

The company’s mattresses and toppers come in sizes from twin to California king. Their pillows come in varied levels of firmness. The pillows are said to absorb pressure and stay cool all night long. The mattresses are said to conform to your body without the sinking feeling you may get with memory foam.

As for the certifications, Earthfoam’s include the Global Organic Textile Standard (with a 20-year history), along with the Global Organic Latex Standard, Fair For Life, Greenguard Gold, Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and the eco-INSTITUT Foam Certification.

As for the reviews, a post at Inhabitat calls Earthfoam “incredibly springy, durable and shockingly comfortable.” Another at Apartment Therapy says the Earthfoam pillow “is the coziest one I own.”

The mattress and topper come with a 10-year warranty. The pillow carries a five-year warranty.

Earthfoam products are sold online with free shipping and also come with a 100-day trial period for mattresses and toppers and 30 days for pillows. Mattress prices range from $699 for a twin to $1,499 for a California king.

This Illinois company isn’t the only one who makes organic mattresses, of course. But they’re one of the newest. Other brands include Birch, Avocado and Saatva.

And if you’re having trouble sleeping, looking for something to read, or in the market for a new sleeping surface, you might want to consider the virtues of nontoxic mattresses.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedInCheck out my website