Organic Bedding
We spend a third of our lives in bed, but do you know what you are sleeping on?
Rhiannon Rowley does, after 15 years working in the mattress industry! She became so concerned about the levels of chemicals in the fabrics and raw materials which are used to make mattresses, that she decided to develop an organic mattress using organic Welsh wool and organic cotton.
This page explains the background to our bedding range.
To see the range itself, click here. TO BUY CLICK HERE
Why Organic?
Organic bedding does sound a bit far-fetched when you first hear it, but in fact, there are very good reasons why we should avoid the large amount of chemicals used in the production of modern bedding. The fabrics used are often synthetic, or if cotton, then from crops which have been grown using large amounts of insecticides and other chemicals. Conventionally grown "pure cotton" T shirts can have as many as 17 teaspoons full of pesticide residue in the finished product, and cotton is widely used in the mattress industry.
Research is now showing that we absorb chemicals into our bodies from our surroundings, and fire retardants are one of the biggest culprits.
Anything we can do to avoid exposure to such doses of chemicals surely has to be better for us?
"And mighty proud I am (and ought to be thankful to Almighty God ) that I am able to have a spare bed for my friends."
"And so to bed" - Samuel Pepys, 1633-1703Organic Certification
Production of an entirely organic mattress was an entirely new and unique venture, so Rhiannon had to blaze an entirely new trail. It took a huge amount of work to build up sufficiently good relationships with the other processors and manufacturers in the "chain" to persuade them to go through the many hoops required to achieve Soil Association organic certification.
The "chain" for the wool consists of everyone who handles it in any way. This includes the farms where the wool comes from; the Wool Board who sort and grade it; the companies who 'scour' it and manufacture it into the wonderful products Rhiannon uses in her mattresses; as well of course as Rhiannon's company itself, all had to go through stringent Soil Association inspection in order to gain that much valued certificate.
"Western wind, when wilt thou blow,
The small rain down can rain?
Christ, if my love were in my arms,
And I in my bed again!"
The Wool
Wool is a traditional material in mattresses of the past. It has a number of virtues, not least of which is its natural ability to resist fire. All UK matresses now have to pass BS 7177 (Fire Safety Regulations) in order to be sold. In the conventional industry, this is achieved by the use of fire retardant chemicals in every component part of the mattress. The total amount used in every mattress made is therefore significant. However, this is not necessary. All the mattresses made by Rhiannon's company are manufactured without any added chemicals, yet they pass the BS 7177. This is in part due to wool's natural fire-retardant characteristics.
The wool is sourced by the Wool Board from registered organic sheep farms in Wales. Indeed, although not individually identified to farms, as they are blended during manufacture, at least some of the wool used probably originates from members of the Graig Farm Producer Group!
"Begin, baby boy : if you haven't had a smile for your parent, then neither will a god think you worth inviting to dinner, nor a goddess to bed"
Virgil, 70-19 BCThe Cotton
Cotton Production
Among the major agricultural crops in the world cotton has the distinction of receiving the most pesticide applications. Not only is this a potential problem for the consumers, but this is now causing serious problems for the farmers, who are caught in the "pesticides treadmill", applying more and more chemicals with less and less effect and causing more debt for themselves and the community. Pesticides can cause environmental destruction and massively decrease the natural local biodiversity. In addition to this the health hazards placed on the farmers are increasing. Organic cotton, like all organic crops is grown without the use of pesticides - to everyone's benefit!
Rhiannon currently uses organic cotton from Turkey, which has a well established organic cotton sector.
TO BUY our organic mattresses, CLICK HERE
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