Environmental & Safety Program

Designed to help consumers understand and assess the safety and environmental attributes of mattresses before they purchase, the new Environmental and Safety Program from the SSA bridges the knowledge gap and promotes transparency within the mattress industry. Sound like a perfect organization for Natura to support? Of course it does!

Consumers want to know!

A recent SSA’s consumer research study found that 41% of consumers worry about the “safety” of mattresses in their homes and 15% of consumers want “emissions-free” mattresses. The same study indicated that 79% of consumers indicated that they would choose a mattress with an environmentally friendly claim if they found them understandable and trustworthy. In response to that study the SSA developed its Environmental & Safety Program™ to address environmental truth in marketing – and clarify for consumers. Go SSA!

As the Chairman of the SSA’s Green Initiatives Board, our Head Honcho, Ralph Rossdeutscher is pleased with the launch of this program. “There is a growing demand for transparency and clarity in the marketing claims of mattress manufacturers,” said Rossdeutscher. “The SSA Environmental and Safety program offers consumers a valuable tool. They can feel confident about choices they make when they decide to invest in a natural and/or organic sleep environment.”

How it works:

The SSA Environmental & Safety Program offers three levels of compliance for manufacturers – each level demanding specific things from bedding manufacturers.

Level I Seal requirements:

• Disclose materials used in construction and percentages of natural/bio-based and/or pre-consumer recycled content if applicable
• Achieve a minimum of 20% of natural/bio-based or pre-consumer recycled content in component categories of fabric and quilt
• Participate in an annual survey to identify carbon footprint issues and commit to continuous improvement
• Meet all federal safety flammability requirements
• Meet all safety requirements for children’s products if applicable
• Provide a warranty for the product

Level II Seal Requirements:

• All the requirements necessary for the first SSA Seal
• Disclose materials used in construction and achieve a minimum of 20% natural/bio-based, pre-consumer recycled content material, and/or steel in component categories of fabric and quilt and 10% for core
• Certify the top fabric (closest to consumer during sleep) through either Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 or Global Organic Textile Standard
• Flexible polyurethane foam products must achieve CertiPUR-US® certification
• Latex foam products must achieve Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 certification.

Level III Seal Requirements:

• All the requirements necessary for the first & second SSA Seal
• Disclose materials used in construction and achieve a minimum of 70% of natural/bio-based and/or pre-consumer recycled content material in component categories of fabric and quilt
• Disclose materials used in construction and achieve a minimum of 50% natural/bio-based, pre-consumer recycled and/or steel for core
• Certify the final mattress through Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 or Global Organic Textile Standard
• Test the mattress for VOCs emissions

At Natura we select the organizations we belong to and support – and programs like this  are why Natura is proud to align itself with the SSA.

Looking for a healthier way to get a great night’s sleep?  Visit www.naturaworld.com for loads of great ideas to help our world.

Do you make shopping purchases based on your environmental ideals? Join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter ~ we’d love to say good morning!