Naturepedic Celebrates Big Environmental Wins on Earth Day
Furniture World News Desk on
4/22/2021
Naturepedic celebrates Earth Day with environmental achievements in chemical footprinting, rigorous third-party certifications, advancing education on pervasive greenwashing claims, and a significant commitment to 1% for the Planet.
Recently releasing its 2020 – 2021 Sustainability Report, the family-oriented brand is calling for increased transparency, accountability, and better utilization of safer, healthier materials industry-wide for the health of our planet and families.
“At Naturepedic, we are committed to protecting the environment through the materials sourced, products created, and business practices used,” comments Barry A. Cik, Board-Certified Environmental Engineer, Founder and Technical Director of Naturepedic, “As detailed in our latest sustainability report, Naturepedic’s commitment to certified organic cotton, for example, contributes to healthier soils, decreased pesticides use and other environmental benefits like CO2 removal. Naturepedic exclusively uses organic cotton fiber and fabrics instead of conventionally-processed cotton.”
The benefits of organic cotton over conventional cotton are numerous. A 2018 report by the Organic Trade Association estimates that conventionally grown cotton releases 220 million metric tons of carbon dioxide globally each year. Additionally, in the United States alone, conventional cotton farming used approximately 48 million pounds of pesticides, 30% of which was glyphosate (Round Up) pesticide. The Rodale Institute also estimates that organic farming removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by as much as three times the rate of conventional farming practices.
Naturepedic’s organic cotton fabric and fill is certified organic by GOTS, the world's leading processing standard for organic textiles and fibers. In addition to GOTS, Naturepedic maintains other rigorous certifications and standards such as MADE SAFE, GOLS, GREENGUARD Gold and UL Formaldehyde-Free standards, and is Forest Stewardship Certified by the Rainforest Alliance. Naturepedic is collaborating with parenting resource sites to drive education on certifications and greenwashing claims to help eliminate widespread misinformation and consumer confusion in the mattress industry.
“While we are proud of our certifications, we don't stop there. In many cases, we hold ourselves to a far stricter standard, for example, by including sustainable forestry management. So when we refer to organic latex, we mean latex that is approved per the GOTS organic standard, whether the latex certification is from GOLS or Rainforest Alliance (FSC). This approach supports the expansion of sustainable rubber tree forests while delivering the healthiest mattresses possible,” adds Cik.
In regard to sustainable business practices, Naturepedic was just announced as a front-runner for best practices in proactive chemical management in the new Chemical Footprint (CFP) report released by Clean Production Action. The CFP report seeks to advance chemical footprinting to reduce business use of hazardous chemicals. Out of all participating companies, Naturepedic placed second overall, scoring a total of 97 percent of possible points, and was also recognized as a Disclosure Leader in the 2020 CFP Survey.
“Naturepedic is an incredibly diligent and engaged member of 1% for the Planet. When I met Barry Cik and came to know Naturepedic, it was an awakening of the best kind about how the many hours (but never quite enough) I spend sleeping are an absolutely critical area where we can all make better choices about how to support our own health and that of the planet. Naturepedic mattresses are healthy in all ways - beyond comfortable, no chemicals, fully transparent about all of the good ingredients that make them. Once you learn about them in contrast to the chemical sponges that most commercial mattresses are, it's pretty hard to ever go back. I sleep on a Naturepedic mattress every night. My deep gratitude for these high quality, healthy, beautifully made products!” – Kate Williams; CEO, 1% for the Planet
“Naturepedic is on a mission to eliminate toxic chemicals from sleep products and replace them with natural and organic materials, all while delivering the highest quality products available. This Earth Day, we ask the industry to join us in this pursuit by working to improve sustainable business practices, utilize certified organic, nontoxic materials, end greenwashing claims, and work together on chemical reform and policy change,” states Cik.
To read Naturepedic’s full 2020-2021 Sustainability report: https://www.naturepedic.com/media/wysiwyg/pdf/Naturepedic_Sustainability_Report.pdf
About Naturepedic: Since 2003, Naturepedic has been on a mission to protect the lives of families through safer, healthier organic-based products that have a positive impact on the environment. A brand with purpose, transparency and ethical practices, Naturepedic is the recipient of many certifications and is highly respected by numerous health and environmental organizations (https://www.naturepedic.com/certifications) and is an EPA Green Power Partner. Since its inception Naturepedic has been a consistent and generous advocate and supporter of NGO's and nonprofits advocating for "Right to Know" about what is in the products that people bring into their homes.