Eco Friendly Latex Mattress: What Qualifies?

If you've done any kind of shopping for mattresses you undoubtedly have heard of organic and eco-friendly products. But just because someone claims that their products are eco-friendly doesn't necessarily make it so. The problem comes by way of the definition of "eco-friendly." To illustrate our point we'll talk about eco-friendly latex foam mattresses in this article.

According to the strictest definition of the term, eco-friendly refers to a product whose materials are primarily organic, recycled, and/or sustainable. Eco-friendly also dictates that the processes used to create the items are as harmless on the environment as possible, including not using any toxic chemicals. If this is the primary definition by which we qualify eco-friendly mattresses, it's a pretty broad stroke under which many companies would fall. Yet at the same time, a stricter definition of eco-friendly exists which narrows the pool significantly.

A Stricter Definition

This more strict definition also includes the means by which a company's products are marketed and distributed. For example, under the strict definition a company whose latex mattresses were manufactured in New Zealand, for example, would not be considered eco-friendly if those mattresses reached the United States by airplane. The pollution created in transporting the mattresses outweighs much of the eco-friendly benefits of the mattresses themselves. Or so the thinking goes.

Eco-Friendly Latex Mattresses

Fortunately, this stricter definition of eco-friendly is not held to by most industry experts. Today's eco-friendly latex mattresses indeed use materials that are friendly to both the environment and the consumer, as well as production processes that have as little impact on the environment as possible. The only caveat to this is that we're talking about natural latex rubber rather than synthetic. A synthetic latex rubber is not eco-friendly by any stretch of imagination.

Natural latex rubber is a product made from the sap of rubber trees. The production process used to form it into mattresses is very simple and eco-friendly all the way down the line. And because it is an organic substance, natural latex rubber tends to be hypoallergenic. It also does not require extra fire retardant chemicals because it is not nearly as combustible as synthetic latex, memory foam, and many of the other petroleum-based substances used in other types of mattresses.

Synthetic Latex

Synthetic latex was developed as a result of the shortage of natural latex during World War II. When manufacturers found out how cheap and easy it was to produce sales began skyrocketing throughout the industrial world. Today synthetic latex is still being produced in record volumes every year. Unfortunately, it is a petroleum-based product with all of the eco-friendly negatives attached to it. Even what's known as the Dunlop Blend, which some manufacturers try to pass off as being eco-friendly, isn't really when you look at the process used to make it.

Where mattresses are concerned synthetic latex is not only not eco-friendly but it also does not have the other properties of natural latex. It does require fire retardant chemicals because it is petroleum-based. It is not hypoallergenic for the same reason. The processes and chemicals used to produce synthetic latex are incredibly toxic as well. And although manufacturers go to great lengths to remove toxins from their synthetic latex mattresses, it cannot all be removed; some residue still remains.

The Only Real Option

If you're looking for a truly eco-friendly latex mattress your only real option is to buy natural latex. But be sure to read the label attached to the mattress rather than simply taking the word of a salesman. Not that salesmen are necessarily dishonest, but there is so much confusion surrounding latex that many people don't even know the difference. If the label says a mattress is made from 100% pure natural latex you can rest assured it is eco-friendly. If not, move on.