PlushBeds promises handcrafted, sustainable sleep with certified organic and natural materials. But the question is, are PlushBeds mattresses all “green” or somewhat “greenwashed”? So, we had to ask: How sustainable are PlushBeds mattresses?

PlushBeds mattresses can be sustainable, depending on the materials used. For example, most of their latex mattresses are very sustainable, with exclusively organically cultivated and processed materials. Yet, some of their hybrid mattresses containing synthetic foam are generally unsustainable. 

Read on as we walk through the life-cycle of PlushBeds mattresses. We will evaluate their sustainability, potential, and shortfalls in each life-cycle stage. And in the end, we’ll show you tips for buying and using PlushBeds mattresses more sustainably.

Here’s How We Assessed the Sustainability of PlushBeds Mattresses

PlushBeds is certified with some of the most prestigious and dependable sustainable and social standards. Yet, what does that mean specifically throughout the life-cycle of their mattresses? 

“Sustainable: The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level | Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance”

Oxford Dictionary

To understand the sustainability of PlushBeds mattresses, we must assess their life-cycle and each stage’s sustainability. This life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to evaluate the environmental impacts of products and materials. Over the years, companies have strategically used LCA to research and create more sustainable products. So, let’s have a look at the LCA of PlushBeds mattresses!

To know if PlushBeds mattresses are really sustainable, we need to look at their manufacturing practices and determine if they are effectively reducing their impact on the planet. To do that we need to look at:

• The information they share,
• data they report to third parties for external review, 
• their ratings and reviews, and 
• what sustainable organizations they belong to. 

How Sustainable Is the Production of PlushBeds Mattresses

The production of PlushBeds mattresses varies from sustainable to rather unsustainable, depending on whether they contain primarily natural and organic materials or synthetic foam. PlushBeds makes their mattresses locally in the US, lowering the carbon footprint of transporting. 

How Sustainable Are the Materials Used for PlushBeds Mattresses

PlushBeds mattresses use a wide range of materials, of which sustainability varies:

• On the one hand, many of their mattresses are made mainly with natural and organic materials. In particular, they use organic cotton and organic latex, which are highly sustainable to source as plants sequester carbon and lessen the climate crisis. But PlushBeds also uses organic sheep wool and other animal-based fillings–alpaca, cashmere, silk, and horsetail hair– which can have relatively high environmental impacts, especially when compared with plant-based materials. 
• On the other hand, some PlushBeds mattresses use polyurethane foam, which is based on fossil fuels. Sourcing fossil fuels is unsustainable because of their nonrenewable nature and the energy-demanding and polluting processes of extracting and refining.

PlushBeds sources both natural and synthetic raw materials for their mattresses. While some versions of their latex mattresses are made entirely with natural and organic materials (which makes them sustainable), many mattresses, especially on the lower-price end, contain polyurethane foam in the form of memory foam or gel foam (which makes them rather unsustainable).

Specifically, PlushBeds mattresses consist of a comfort system and, in the case of hybrid mattresses, a support system. 

• A comfort system: It is constructed of one or several layers of
  • latex: organic latex or natural latex
  • cotton: organic cotton or conventional cotton
  • wool: organic sheep wool, alpaca wool, cashmere
  • silk
  • horsehair tail
  • memory foam
  • gel foam
• A support system: It is constructed with pocket coils. PlushBeds uses recycled steel in some mattresses, such as the Royal Bliss Luxury Mattresses.

The sustainability of your specific PlushBeds mattress depends on the materials they use. So, let’s have a look at the sustainability of all their main materials so that you can make a better informed decision:

• Organic Latex: Sourcing natural latex from organically cultivated rubber trees to use in mattresses is sustainable because the sap is renewable and can be harvested responsibly without killing the tree. Rubber trees can live for a long time, sequestering carbon dioxide throughout their lifespan. Organic farming of rubber trees can also benefit the health of the soil, the ecosystem, and the farmers while eliminating the adverse environmental impacts associated with using synthetic agrochemicals. 
• Natural Latex: Sourcing the sap of rubber trees for natural latex mattresses is sustainable because the sap is renewable and can be harvested responsibly without killing the tree. Rubber trees can ive for a long time, sequestering carbon dioxide throughout their lifespan. 
• Organic Cotton: Sourcing organic cotton fibers to use in mattresses is generally sustainable, mainly thanks to the carbon sequestration of cotton plants. Organic cotton cultivation can also benefit the health of the soil, the ecosystem, and cotton growers. 
• Conventional Cotton: Sourcing conventional cotton fiber for cotton mattresses is mostly unsustainable because the cotton crop is water-thirsty and vulnerable to various pests. Also, the widespread monoculture in cotton cultivation depletes the soil and necessitates synthetic fertilizer in many growing regions. 
• Organic Sheep Wool: Sourcing organic sheep wool fibers to use in mattresses is generally sustainable. Organic sheep wool fibers are generally renewable, while organic agriculture systems often adopt sustainable practices that promote biodiversity, increase soil health, and sequester more carbon. 
• Alpaca Wool: Sourcing alpaca wool fibers to use in mattresses is generally sustainable. Alpaca wool fibers are considered a renewable resource. The adverse environmental impacts of raising alpacas are relatively lower than wool-producing ruminants like sheep and goats, largely because of the biological differences between camelids and ruminants.
• Cashmere: Sourcing cashmere fibers to use in mattresses is generally unsustainable. They come from the inner coat of hair of a specific species of goats, mostly found in Central Asia and the Gobi desert. The environmental impacts of raising goats, including global warming, land degradation, biodiversity loss, and pollution, are intensified in the case of cashmere goats because of the rapid increases in the number of goats grazing in relatively restricted areas to meet the ever-growing global cashmere demand. 
• Silk: Sourcing silk proteins to use in mattresses is generally not sustainable. Silk proteins come from the cocoons that silkworm caterpillars produce to wrap around themselves during their transformation into silkworm moths. The main food for these larvae is the leaves of mulberry trees, which often require significant land and water to grow. Heavy overuse of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is common in mulberry cultivation, even though the species generally don’t need such agrochemicals.
• Memory Foam: Memory foam is low-resistance polyurethane foam, generally made with fossil-derived polymers. Similarly to polyurethane foam, sourcing raw materials for memory foam is highly unsustainable due to the nonrenewable nature of fossil fuels and the highly polluting, energy-intensive processes of extracting and refining these fuels. 
• Gel Foam: Gel foam is polyurethane foam or memory foam combined with cooling gel beads or swirls. These are generally made from fossil fuels, which are unsustainable to source due to their nonrenewable nature and the highly polluting, energy-intensive processes of extracting and refining. 
• Steel Coils in Pockets: Sourcing iron raw material to use in mattresses is unsustainable due to their nonrenewable nature. Iron mining has adverse environmental impacts, including habitat destruction, environmental contamination and pollution, and water scarcity exacerbation. 
• Recycled Steel Coils: Using recycled steel avoids depleting iron ore resources, which are nonrenewable, and bypasses iron mining, which has many adverse environmental impacts.
• Flame Retardants: No fiber-glass flame retardants are used in PlushBeds mattresses. Instead, the company uses organic wool or plant-based fibers as natural fire barriers. 

How Sustainably Are PlushBeds Mattresses Generally Produced

The sustainability of PlushBeds mattress production varies, depending on the materials used:

• On the one hand, organic layers, such as organic latex or organic wool, are relatively eco-friendly to produce because harsh synthetic chemicals are strictly controlled and eliminated. 
• On the other hand, synthetic foam, such as memory foam or gel foam, is unsustainable to produce because of the intensive use of energy and chemicals.

The typical process of manufacturing the comfort system and, in the case of hybrid mattresses, the support system in PlushBeds mattresses includes the following steps:

1. Construct the comfort system with various layers from natural and organic materials. The comforting layers are made in organic-certified facilities, free of harmful synthetic chemicals. However, producing some comforting layers, especially memory foam, organic latex, and organic wool, can be energy-intensive. 
2. Construct the support system with pocket coils. Producing the steel coils (drawing steel wire and bending wire to create coils) uses a lot of energy, which would have serious knock-on ecological impacts when production depends largely on fossil fuels. However, coils made with recycled steel, as used in some PlushBeds mattresses, would have a lower energy demand as there is no need to produce new raw steel. 
   • Turn iron ore into steel or upcycle steel before shaping into coils
   • Construct the spring center 
3. Add the covers to various layers.

Where Are PlushBeds Mattresses Usually Produced

PlushBeds mattresses are made in the company’s California factory. Their factory is GOLS- and GOTS-certified, ensuring that their products are safe and environmentally friendly. 

As PlushBeds mattresses are manufactured in the US, production will likely rely heavily on fossil fuels. According to Our World in Data, only 11.66% of energy consumption in the US comes from renewable sources.

Using renewable energy (solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass) would significantly reduce carbon emissions at this stage.

How Sustainable Is the Transportation of PlushBeds Mattresses

Transporting PlushBeds mattresses can have a relatively high carbon footprint because of the bulky nature of the product. However, manufacturing locally in the US helps reduce the transporting distances. 

In the life-cycle of PlushBeds mattresses, transportation typically occurs as follows: 

• from fields/pastures/forests/mines where raw materials are extracted to the manufacturing location in California, 
• from the manufacturing location to sorting centers and/or physical shops, 
• from sorting centers and/or physical shops to the consumer’s home, and
• from the consumer’s home to the centers for recycling and/or disposal.

Though PlushBeds manufactures locally in the US, they source their raw materials from around the world, such as wool from the UK and latex from Sri Lanka, significantly adding to their transportation footprint. 

What Eco-Friendly or Sustainable Certifications Does PlushBeds Have

PlushBeds mattresses are certified with some of the most prestigious and dependable sustainable and social standards. 

• Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS): This certification is a worldwide standard pioneered by the Control Union that focuses on latex products regarding the farming and manufacturing processes. It ensures that latex products contain more than 95% certified organic raw materials. A mattress with this certification is guaranteed to be what it claims to be, is safe and free from toxic chemicals, and is sourced and produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. 
• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): This globally recognized certification system ensures that a certain threshold of organic content has been met. It covers manufacturing, packaging, labeling, transportation, and distribution (but not what happens in the fields where crops are grown).
  • PlushBeds sources organic wool and organic cotton under the Global Organic Textile Standard (CU1007386)
• USDA Organic: A certification by the United States Department of Agriculture that guarantees products are produced through approved organic methods. It covers the entire lifecycle of agricultural products, including crop cultivation, livestock raising, processing, and handling, ensuring they are free from synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and other prohibited substances. When a mattress has a USDA Organic certification, it means the department certifies some or all of the natural materials used in the mattresses.
• Rainforest Alliance: This certification ensures that the farms and forests providing raw materials for a mattress meet rigorous environmental, social, and economic sustainability standards. It covers practices that promote biodiversity, improve livelihoods, and ensure the responsible use of natural resources, helping to conserve forests, protect wildlife, and support farmers and forest communities. 
• Forest Stewardship Council: An FSC certification ensures that the wood (or wood-like material) used in a mattress comes from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. 
• CertiPUR-US: A certification for foam products (polyurethane foam, memory foam, or hybrid foam) that ensures they are made without harmful chemicals and meet rigorous standards for content, emissions, and durability. It verifies that the foam is free from ozone depleters, flame retardants, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals, formaldehyde, and phthalates, and has low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality.
• GREENGUARD: A certification program that ensures products meet strict chemical emissions limits, contributing to healthier indoor air quality. GREENGUARD Certification is awarded to products that have been tested and proven to have low chemical emissions, helping to reduce indoor air pollution and the risk of chemical exposure.
  • PlushBeds mattresses are GREENGUARD Gold Certified. 
• eco-INSTITUT: A certification that tests mattresses and bedding products for emissions and pollutants to ensure they meet high indoor air quality and safety standards. The eco-INSTITUT certifies a wide range of mattress types, including innersprings, latexes, synthetic foams, as well as futons.

How Sustainable Is the Usage of PlushBeds Mattresses

The usage of PlushBeds mattresses is sustainable thanks to their long lifespan.

What Is the Typical Lifespan of PlushBeds Mattresses 

Many PlushBeds mattresses are based on natural latex, which tends to have a long lifespan, meaning that they do not need to be replaced as frequently, reducing waste generation and conserving resources. Some PlushBeds mattresses have a 20-year warranty, while most are guaranteed for life.

How Is the Quality of PlushBeds Mattresses Rated

PlushBeds is rated “Excellent” with 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot. Many reviews praise the quality of the mattresses as well as the PlushBeds customer service, such as the following:

“Customer service with Melanie was excellent. She was very patient with my many annoying questions and requests! I purchased with them because of their product certifications and high-quality products. Many beds and bedding products are cheaply made with chemicals that I don’t want.”

How Sustainable Is the End-of-Life of PlushBeds Mattresses

The end-of-life of PlushBeds mattresses varies in sustainability depending on the materials used. PlushBeds mattresses made primarily with natural components (latex, wool, cotton) are sustainable because they are biodegradable. However, PlushBeds’ mattresses that contain synthetic foam don’t biodegrade at the end of their life and, thus, are generally unsustainable.

How Circular Are PlushBeds Mattresses Made

PlushBeds mattresses that contain primarily biodegradable components (latex, wool, cotton, and silk) break down naturally at the end of their life, returning to the earth without leaving a significant environmental footprint. For example, a study showed a substantial decrease in the mass of the latex foam after three months, estimating that it would take one to two years for latex foam to break down completely.

On the other hand, PlushBeds mattresses that contain synthetic foam and steel coils don’t break down at the end of their life. Conventional polyurethane foam, the base of memory foam and gel foam, will sit in landfills for a thousand years. Consequently, it is crucial to keep this material in circulation for as long as possible.

“Circular economy: The circular economy is a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting. The circular economy tackles climate change and other global challenges, like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution, by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources.”

Ellen Macarthur Foundation

There are no circular mattresses in PlushBeds’s selection, and we couldn’t find any information about plans to make their mattresses circular in the future.

Are PlushBeds Mattresses Made for Recycling

At the end of their life, PlushBeds mattresses are difficult to recycle because they often contain many layers. 

As a principle, products made with one type of material, such as 100% latex foam, are easier to disassemble and recycle than products made with a blend of materials. 

But if your PlushBeds mattress contains multiple layers, then it’s generally relatively difficult to recycle at the end of its life. 

Will PlushBeds Mattresses Go to Waste at Their End-of-life

PlushBeds mattresses that contain primarily biodegradable components (latex, wool, cotton, and silk) can break down naturally in landfills. In contrast, PlushBeds mattresses that contain synthetic foam would clog up landfills for a long time due to the lack of take-back programs from the company.

We couldn’t find any mention on PlushBeds’s website about any take-back programs for their mattresses at the end of their life. 

Mattresses are bulky waste that take up significant landfill space—often for a long time. 

In brief, PlushBeds mattresses are not yet circular. The brand uses a very small proportion of recycled materials in their mattresses. Also, there are no incentives to promote the recycling of their products at the end of their life.

Why Is It Important to Buy More Sustainable Mattresses

It is important to buy mattresses made of more sustainable materials because such materials generally have lower carbon footprints, put less pressure on natural resources, and are safer for both consumers and workers. 

Buying Mattresses Made of More Sustainable Materials Reduces Toxic Chemicals In Your Sleeping Environment 

Many mattresses are made with synthetic materials in chemical-intensive processes, exposing factory workers and end users to health risks, especially regarding the respiratory system. For example, one memory foam model was found to emit 61 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including the known carcinogens benzene and naphthalene. 

In contrast, mattresses made of more sustainable materials, such as plant-based latex or organic wool, are generally safer, as they don’t contain toxic chemicals and are produced in more responsible processes. 

Buying Mattresses Made of More Sustainable Materials Reduces Your Carbon Footprint 

Conventional synthetic materials used in mattresses are fossil-derived and, thus, have a high carbon footprint. On the other hand, mattresses made with more sustainable materials, either organic or recycled, have relatively low carbon footprints. 

Buying Mattresses Made of More Sustainable Materials Reduces Demand for Natural Resources and Waste Management

Buying mattresses made with more sustainable materials, such as organic or recycled ones, means that you can avoid fossil-derived mattress foams, which contribute to the depletion of nonrenewable resources. 

Additionally, using organic materials for mattresses lessens the pressure on landfill space. Keep the following in mind:

• Mattresses are bulky waste that take up significant space in landfills.
• Over 50,000 mattresses are thrown out every day in the US and about 20 million of those end up in landfills annually.

Considering that synthetic materials don’t break down for hundreds of years, opting for organic mattresses that are biodegradable and recyclable significantly lowers the pressure on landfills. 

Buying Mattresses Made of More Sustainable Plant-Based Materials Encourages Sustainable Management of Forests and Ecosystems

Sustainable plant-based mattress materials, such as bamboo and hemp, are made with raw materials from forests and plantations that are sustainably managed. 

When you buy sustainable plant-based materials, you discourage unsustainable practices like clearing biodiverse forests for cattle raising. Furthermore, you help reduce deforestation, biodiversity loss, and the effects of climate change.

Final Thoughts

PlushBeds mattresses can be sustainable when made primarily with biodegradable raw materials from organic farming systems, including organic latex, organic wool, and organic cotton. However, PlushBeds uses synthetic foam in some of their mattresses, making these products not as sustainable in sourcing, manufacturing, and disposal.

As a consumer, you can make your use of PlushBeds mattresses more sustainable by following these steps:

1. Buy second-hand mattresses
2. Keep a PlushBeds mattress for as long as possible
3. At the end-of-life of your PlushBeds mattress, upcycle the material to extend its usage and arrange for it to be recycled or properly disposed of

Stay impactful,

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