5 Best Eco-Friendly Mattresses

The Joybed LX is the epitome of an eco-friendly mattress as it contains zero chemicals and synthetic materials. That includes neither latex nor foam. Instead, the mattress is crafted from natural, organic and biodegradable materials comprised of cotton, wool and plant fiber.

The LX's cover is based on lightweight and soft hand-quilted cotton. The top layer is made of flame resistant plant fiber. The comfort layer contains two sub-layers of cotton with a layer of natural wool in between them. The mattress is supported by individually encased steel coils.

The cotton is GOLS certified, which ensures it's organic origin and guarantees it poses no risk to sleepers health. The wool is Oeko-Tex certified indicating it's free of toxins and is safe for humans. The wool is also routinely tested at the Davis Toxicology Lab, which is a part of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab System.

Apart from the environmental aspect, the use of 100% natural materials has numerous advantages. These materials are highly breathable and provide excellent sweat-wicking keeping a sleeper's body cool and dry and is a fine mattress for reducing heat retention. They're also soft and cushy but aren't sinkable, so they deliver improved support and enable ease of movement while relieving excess pressure.

The Avocado Green was designed with the imperative of environmental protection in mind. It's based on nontoxic, natural and organic cotton, wool and latex originated from sustainability harvested sources. The mattress contains neither synthetic blends nor petroleum-based polyurethane foams.

The Avocado Green's cover is crafted from organic cotton and wool. Its comfort layer consists of elastic Dunlop latex manufactured without synthetic additives. The support layer is built from 8'' individually encased coils. The coils are manufactured from recycled steel. The bottom layer is based on highly dense Dunlop latex, which supports the coils as they compress. The layers are bound together using traditional needle-tufting techniques without toxic solvent or water-based adhesives.

The cotton and wool are GOTS certified. The wool is free of chemical and flame retardants. It's harvested in eco-consciously managed farms based on organic grazing across the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. These farms are partially owned by Avocado. They're Responsible Wool Standard Certified indicating the animals are properly taken cared of.

The latex is GOLS certified ensuring that it's produced from organic tree sap without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and GMOs. 

The cotton wool and latex are GREENGUARD and Climate Neutral certified indicating their manufacturing process meets stringent guidelines regarding the reduction of chemical emissions. These materials are also OEKO-TEX, Forest Stewardship, eco-INSTITUT and Rainforest Alliance certified guaranteeing they don't contain substances which may seriously harm the environment or risk human health.

The combination of cotton and wool give the Avocado Green a cushy feel. The Dunlop latex provides enhanced pressure relieving bounce. The coils generate lift reducing sinkage. The mattress is medium firm, which makes it a good fit for average and heavyweight sleepers. It enables easy repositioning and effectively regulates temperature.

The Latex for Less Natural Latex is another cotton, wool and latex mattress. Like the two other mattresses discussed above, the materials it's made of are entirely organic and sustainable without any synthetic additives, and so it's a great fit for environmentally aware sleepers.

The Natural Latex is available in two heights of 7'' and 9''. It's also flippable with two firmness levels of medium and firm. Its medium firmness side consists of two comfort layers of natural and soft wool and medium density organic Talalay latex. The firm side has only one comfort layer of Talalay latex.

Both sides share cover fabric made of plush organic cotton, which is stressed and not woven. They also share the same support layer of ultra-dense organic Dunlop latex. The 9'' model has an additional layer of 2'' dense Dunlop latex.

The materials the Natural Latex is crafted from are free of ployurethane foams, synthetic blends, chemical adhesives and flame retardants. The cotton and wool are GOTS certified. The latex is GOLS and Oeko-Tex certified. It comes from the sap of the Hevea Brasilienesis rubber tree growing in plantations in Sri Lanka.

Being a flippable mattress, the Natural Latex gives two distinct feels of medium and firm, and it, thus, fits a wide range of sleeper types and weights. The Talalay latex in its comfort layer is more elastic and cushier than Dunlop latex. It provides enhanced pressure relieving bounce. The ultra-dense Dunlop latex in the support layer averts excess sinking keeping sleepers 'on' the mattress instead of 'in' it allowing them to move on its surface with minimum effort. Furthermore, Talalay latex is highly aerated. It helps keep the mattress cool at night.

If you prefer the deep contouring provided by foam to the bouncy feel given my latex, the good news is that foam-based mattresses can also be eco-friendly and, thus, go hand in hand with your environmental agenda. One such mattress is the Hope Hybernate Ice Touch.

This foam and coils mattresses has a top layer of ultra-soft polyurethane Deluxe foam. Beneath it, there is a comfort layer of slow responding gel-infused memory foam. The mattress is supported by 8'' individually encased coils.

The Hybernate Ice Touch isn't completely free of synthetic materials, but its foam is CertiPUR-US certified, which guarantees it doesn't contain ozone depleters, PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (“Tris”) flame retardants, formaldehyde, phthalates, heavy metals and any other substance which may pose risk to sleepers' health or severely harm the environment. In addition, the mattress manufacturer, Hope, is strongly committed to guidelines aimed at minimizing the emissions of volatile organic compounds.

The Hybernate Ice Touch is a high-quality mattress which provides enhanced pressure relieving comfort and strong support and is a recommend mattress for athletes. It's two malleable foam layers do a great job isolating motion even when it comes to restless sleepers. Most important, the mattress is engineered to reduce heat retention. Its cover fabric uses phase-change technology, which draws heat away from the body. The gel in the memory foam helps dissipate excess heat. The coils, on their part, facilitate air circulation further increasing the cooling effect.

The all-foam Zoma Start mattress, apart from conforming to environmental safety guidelines, is designed to accelerate physical recovery and is highly recommended to athletes and sleepers who strain their body on a daily basis. What is more, the mattress is highly affordable and is a good choice for buyers who are on a tight budget.

The Start has a comfort layer of contouring gel-infused memory foam. Its transition layer consists of Reactive^TM medium density poly foam. The mattresses is supported by a bottom layer of highly dense poly foam.

Much like the Hope Hybernate Ice Touch, the foam used in the Start is CertiPUR-US certified, so the materials from which it's produced don't threaten the environment and don't endanger sleepers' health. Furthermore, Zoma applies strict measures to curtail the emissions of pollutants, volatile organic compounds in particular.

The memory foam in the Start's comfort layer perfectly molds to the body effectively mitigating pressure. The Reactive^TM medium density poly foam in the transition layer is engineered to responds to sleepers' movements further enhancing pressure relief. It soothes the muscles expediting their recovery. The hardened poly foam in the support layer is reinforced in the middle elevating sleeper's lumbar back and hips preventing their spine from being thrown out of its natural alignment.

The mattress also provides a cool sleep environment. Its cover fabric is made of breathable polyester and spansex. It has tiny holes in it for improved moisture wicking. The gel in the memory form reduces thermal energy helping regulate temperature.