Our Sustainability Focus

At the Natural Bedding Company, sustainability is at our core.

We believe that the entire lifecycle of consumer goods needs to be taken into account during production. The materials we use are all-natural and at the end of their life will return to where they came from - mother earth. We also care deeply about transparency and are committed to creating quality products that are made ethically and fairly during every stage of the manufacturing process.

From the creation of the business, being able to provide a natural, handcrafted product that does not have a negative impact on the environment has been a core value. What started off as literally a cottage industry, with Andrew making Cotton Futons in his lounge room, has evolved over the years to where we are now, crafting beautiful handmade pieces that are non-toxic and eco-friendly. What continues to inspire the brand every day is the opportunity to keep evolving and finding the best possible products and materials to ensure we stay aligned with our vision.

Sustainability is something that we focus on during every stage of production and maintaining a carbon-neutral footprint is so important as we are all responsible for the environment. Two organisations The Natural Bedding Company works with for carbon offsetting are CarbonClick and Carbon Positive Australia.

CarbonClick is our latest addition, which can be found at the checkout. Simply offset carbon emissions by adding $2 to the cart, these funds are then distributed to various offsetting projects. Each customer that opts in will offset 75.51kg of carbon - so imagine the good that happens when everyone opts in! CarbonClick supports projects like the Rarakau Rainforest Conservation Project & Tambopata-Bahuaja Biodiversity Reserve, as well as NSW Farmers Regenerating Aussie Bush.

The Natural Bedding Company donates 1% of all of our woodwork sales to Carbon Positive Australia. This organisation does amazing work and so far have been able to; plant 6,525,067 trees, sequester 651,759 tonnes of carbon, restore 5,138 hectares of degraded land & undertake research into carbon farming participation.

You can calculate your Carbon Footprint now here and take a look at one of Carbon Click's current projects in NSW!

Voluntary carbon offsetting is a way to compensate for unavoidable carbon emissions. This is done by purchasing carbon credits that represent an amount of carbon removed by verified projects - like growing, protecting and restoring forests which sequester carbon.

Your offset supports projects like the Everdale Native Regeneration project in New South Wales, Australia. This project promotes the regeneration of over 5,000 hectares of acacia woodland and eucalypt forest. 

Organic Latex

The core of our business (and most of our mattresses) is our 100% Certified Organic Latex. Since the business was established in 1984 we have worked hard to source what we believe to be the best raw materials available at the moment. There are no toxic chemicals that can leach down into the community water sources and rice paddy fields.

Our current suppliers in Sri Lanka not only produce a beautiful organic product but they also have a zero carbon footprint and we are proud to be associated with them. Aside from the importance of maintaining our own carbon-neutral footprint, we believe that by working with a company in a nation like Sri Lanka we are contributing to local change there as well. We are sending a message that greener businesses can be very valuable economically, and in doing so, we hope we can contribute to a wider shift in attitudes towards sustainability at this crucial time.

As our Latex is a 100% natural organic product when it reaches the end of its life it can be disposed of in a way that will not have an adverse effect on the environment. When you purchase a mattress from The Natural Bedding Company you are not only supporting a long standing trusted Australian company but also supporting Australian Production.

Australian Downs Wool

In a range of our products, you will find Untreated Australian Downs Wool. Sourced from Victoria and South Australia we use Wool of the highest standard that has not been highly chemically processed. Not only does this make the wool great for chemically sensitive individuals but it also reduces the toxic waste produced from the wool industry.

The wool we use is washed with a mild detergent and then carded. It doesn't undergo typical processes like 'carbonisation' which is a chemically intensive process that strips the wool of plant debris as well as much of the natural lanolin found in wool.

"Wool is naturally flame resistant and offers a greater level of fire safety than other fibres... Wool's inherent fire resistance comes from its naturally high nitrogen and water content, requiring higher levels of oxygen in the surrounding environment in order to burn."*

*https://iwto.org/wellness/flame-resistance/

Similar to our Latex, once your products containing our Untreated Australian Downs Wool reach the end of their lifetime they can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. The wool can either be used for composting or repurposed for a multitude of different uses, such as mulch in your garden, it is great for preventing weeds and retaining moisture.

Tasmanian Oak

All the Tasmanian Oak hardwood timber used in our furniture is sustainably harvested from regrowth forest and holds the Responsible Wood PEFC certification. Once logged the timber is taken to a local sawmill to be cut into various sizes with the aim of maximising recovery from the log and reducing wastage.

Since December 2019 The Natural Bedding Company has been donating 1% of the sales of our handcrafted bed bases and bedsides to Carbon Positive Australia. As mentioned about this organisation plants native tree species, endemic to their locality and works on projects with high restoration outcomes, including providing habitat for endangered species, reducing salinity, and restoring biodiversity.

One of the biggest motivators for us to support Carbon Positive Australia’s work was not only that it aligned so perfectly with our brand, but that we felt it was so important to help rebuild the natural environment and to counteract the damage that has been done. Although we don’t use timber unless we know it’s been sustainably managed and sourced under the government’s ecoSelect program, we still understand the impact that using timber has on the environment and want to help replace the trees that have been used to make our beautifully crafted bed frames and bedside tables.

To discover more about our natural materials, please find the small selection of FAQs below which delve into our manufacturing process, sustainable approach, the use of latex fillers in the industry, and much more.

How do you process your latex?

There are two main methods of processing latex – the Dunlop and the Talalay process. We use the Dunlop process, which has been practised since the late 1920s. First, the sap is extracted from the rubber tree, then put into a centrifuge machine and whipped into a froth. The froth is then placed into a mould with a small amount of gelling agent (sodium silicofluoride), covered, and steam baked. The latex is then washed and rinsed which removes any residue left over from the gelling and baking process, as well as removing most VOC’s.

What are fillers in latex?

Organic fillers are naturally occurring substances found in the sap, including tree minerals and salts. You’d expect them to be there, and we wouldn’t try to remove them. The latex we work with and use to handcraft our natural mattresses and pillows contains only organic fillers.

Sometimes when we have a customer come to us who has had previous allergic reactions/sensitivities to latex, it may have been a reaction to the synthetic fillers that have been used to make that product. We offer complimentary mattress material samples to anyone with allergy or sensitivity concerns.

What about VOCs? Are they produced during the Dunlop process?

When the sap is heated with a small amount of gelling agent (sodium silicofluoride) a minimal amount of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are formed. VOCs are carbon-based compounds, found both naturally and in many household products and most are washed out of the mattress during the rinsing process before testing and packaging. They are carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature and can combine with other molecules in the atmosphere to create new compounds – some harmless, others not so. This is often described as the smell from fresh paint, new furniture, new cars, etc. which arises from VOCs breaking down – a process known as off-gassing (this typically occurs when a product is first made and when a product nears the end of its life).

When there is a high level of VOCs, we find chemically sensitive people can get headaches, itchy eyes, feel nauseous or have issues breathing. Consequently, high levels of VOCs can have adverse health effects as off-gassing may persist for years after a product is made. The more natural a product is, and the more stable its make-up, the lower the level of VOCs and the safer it is. We care deeply about creating a healthy sleeping environment so we strive to ensure our Organic Latex has as little off-gassing as possible. Our latex is tested and certified to ensure it has a low toxicity.