A Cheat Sheet To 9 Common Mattress Certifications + Why They Matter

This certification means at least 95% of the natural latex used in your mattress is certified organic, with restrictions on the use of certain substances for the other 5%.

It also ensures the product is socially justifiable, environmentally friendly, and traceable throughout its value chain. It prohibits the use of substances such as phthalates, heavy metals, chemical flame retardants, formaldehyde, VOCs, and polyurethane foam.

Certified brands: Naturepedic, Avocado, My Green Mattress, Brentwood Home

This is the leading textile processing standard for organic fibers, backed by independent third-party certification of the entire textile supply chain.

This certification means that your mattress products are made of a minimum of 95% organic fibers. It prohibits the use of substances such as phthalates, heavy metals, chemical flame retardants, formaldehyde, VOCs, and polyurethane foam. 

Certified brands: Naturepedic, Avocado, My Green Mattress, Happsy, Saatva

This standard focuses on how textiles are processed and what dyes and finishes are used on them. Synthetic fabrics can be OEKO-TEX certified, and not all OEKO-TEX certified products are organic. But if a textile carries the label, you can be certain that every component (thread, button, zipper, etc.) has been tested for substances that could harm human health (such as heavy metals, flame retardants, phthalates, and formaldehyde).

GOLS, GOTS, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifications are Radford’s top recommendations, though they can often be pricier than the others.

Certified brands: Avocado, Birch, Brentwood Home,  

Greenguard certification means that a mattress has been tested for specific chemical emission limits of phthalates, flame retardants, formaldehyde, and other VOCs. 

Greenguard Gold includes health-based criteria for additional chemicals and has more stringent VOC emissions limits. It doesn’t, however, guarantee that non-volatile contaminants (such as lead or cadmium) aren’t in your mattress. 

Certified brands: Avocado, Birch, Brentwood Home, Naturepedic,

This certification means that the mattress has been screened to ensure that over 6,500 banned/restricted substances have been avoided or constrained, thereby eliminating the worst hazards commonly found in products used in our homes and daily routines. Certification requires manufacturing transparency and detailed disclosure of substances and specifications. 

In Dahl’s opinion, this is one of the most impressive certifications since it ensures a mattress is completely free of toxic chemicals and treatments.

Certified brands: Avocado, Naturepedic, Happsy

This certification means that the polyurethane foam in your mattress is made without certain flame retardants, formaldehyde, lead, and other heavy metals, and it’s low in VOC emissions.

In Radford’s view, CertiPUR-US is the lowest-regarded certification on the list, for two reasons. “Firstly, it is administered by the Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam, who likely has a vested interest in passing products, and secondly, it does not certify the entire mattress; it only certifies the foam inside the mattress,” she says.

In other words, if a product has CertiPUR-US foam but also has a layer of vinyl, it likely will still off-gas phthalates and other potentially toxic chemicals.

Certified brands: Casper, Tuft & Needle, ,, Douglas

This certification measures a company’s entire social and environmental impact. It ensures that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving, to supply chain practices and input materials.

Dahl always prioritizes shopping with Certified B Corporations when possible. “While the B Corp logo doesn’t mean a product is necessarily fully sustainable or non-toxic, couple that with MADE SAFE or Greenguard and you’re going to be making a great choice,” says Dahl.

 Certified brands: Avocado, Savvy Rest, Leesa

This certification means that the safety, circularity, and responsibility of materials and products have been assessed across five categories: material health, product circularity, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship, and social fairness.

Certified brands: Savvy Rest

The Climate Neutral standard is focused on eliminating carbon emissions by making climate neutrality a priority for businesses and consumers. To become Climate Neutral Certified, a company must show that it is working to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from making and delivering its products and compensate for them through carbon offsets every year.

Certified brands: Avocado, Brentwood Home  

1.

Check for flame retardants.

“First and foremost, consumers should ask the manufacturer to confirm that there are no chemical flame retardants used in the mattress,” says Dahl, adding that there are safer options like wool barriers that have flame-resistant properties without harmful chemical exposures.

Some of the labels listed above allow you to forego this step, as they certify that there are no chemical flame retardants in a product.

2.

Look beyond synthetic foams.

Secondly, experts agree that ideally, consumers should choose a mattress made from something other than polyurethane foam (including memory foams), which are the primary source of toxic chemical exposure and off-gassing.

Alternatives include a combination of natural latex (if you don’t have an allergy), cotton, kapok fiber, and/or wool.

If you do choose a mattress made of polyurethane foam, Radford recommends looking for one that is at least CertiPUR-US certified, though ideally, it would also be Greenguard GOLD certified.

3.

Push brands to do more.

It’s important to note that certifications aren’t a one-and-done exercise; they need to be updated. Don’t shy away from asking brands to see updated documentation if you want to be sure.

Finally, “We need more companies to get involved in asking Congress to pass legislation that will remove these toxic chemicals from all mattresses, leveling the playing field for people who can’t afford safer mattresses, or don’t have the time to shop the market,” says Dahl.

Expert favorites

Both Dahl and Radford appreciate that Avocado owns every part of their production, and has a responsible sourcing program that takes care of the communities they work in. Dahl also highlights that Naturepedic, while on the pricier side, has openly used the power of their business to testify in support of bans on toxic chemicals in mattresses and other furniture.