Green latex mattresses - buyer beware

Green latex mattresses are one of the hottest-selling items on the organic-mattress market, and they’re becoming more popular every day.

As a marketing term, “green” has become associated with a generic feeling of environmental benefit and consumer safety. It’s been used to sell everything from cars to cookies to computers, and its appeal is growing.

But have you ever stopped to wonder what the word “green” actually means?

It depends on who you ask. While most shoppers expect “green” products to have some environmental and/or personal health benefit, no regulation exists to make sure that is the case. As a result, “greenwashing” abounds -- including in the manufacture of green latex mattresses.

When it comes to “green” mattress shopping, let the buyer beware.

Here’s an example. Mattresses and bedding containing bamboo are often advertised as being "green.” In reality, converting bamboo to cellulose requires the use of carbon disulfide and sodium hydroxide – potent toxins associated with health and environmental risks.

Sometimes a small amount of soy material is added to a whole lot of toxic petrochemical foam. That can be sold as “green” or “organic,” too.

The word “latex” can also be problematic. While it literally describes the sap of the tropical rubber tree, most “latex” found in green latex mattresses is actually a blend of natural and synthetic rubber. Some so-called green latex mattresses are actually made from 100% plastic-based polyurethane foam, with no real latex involved at all.

Sounds like greenwashing to us!

The result is heavy chemical offgassing, as well as money wasted by consumers who think they’re getting something that benefits their own health as well as the environment.

Lifekind: The Standard for Certified Purity

A natural-rubber latex mattress made by Lifekind^® is different. Unlike the ingredients found in most green latex mattresses, we use only real, 100%-natural, Oeko-Tex certified Talalay rubber latex, grown overseas and transported in sealed metal containers to avoid fumigation. The sap is transformed into a mattress core here in the U.S., then combined with U.S.-grown organic cotton and wool at our certified-organic factory to produce the purest organic mattress you can find.

Don’t be fooled by “green” impostors. When your comfort and safety are at stake, trust Lifekind^® to create the healthful sleeping environment you need to relax, refresh, and awaken re-energized to face a beautiful new day.

See all our Green Latex Mattresses here.