Posts

Ask The Crib Mattress Specialist: Why doesn’t Colgate offer an organic mattress?

/in /by

Colgate Mattress™️ created the “Ask the Crib Mattress Specialist” series in response to frequently asked questions from our valued customers. Through this blog series, we hope sharing our thoughts on these topics will help you better understand why we handcraft our products with your baby in mind using the highest industry standards.

If you have a question you’d like included in the series, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected].

Question: Hello, Crib Mattress Specialists! 

I know and trust the Colgate Mattress name — in fact, it’s the brand most recommended to me by friends, family and even Google. But I really want to make sure my baby’s crib mattress is organic and you don’t seem to have an organic crib mattress offering? Why is that? 

– Curious Caroline

 

Hello, Caroline! Thank you for your question.

The term “organic” is frequently used across different industries to describe various types of products — ranging from foods to cleaning products to bedding and everything in between. But such common usage of the term can make it difficult to discern when items truly are in fact organic (meaning certified by an industry authority) and when they’re not.

Additionally, there isn’t one universal “clearinghouse” across all industries that sets the standard for when and how the term can be used. And so “organic” can be defined differently depending on the product — and at the discretion of the manufacturer.

The Global Organic Textile Standard provides certification for products such as sheets and mattresses. However, it’s still common for some manufacturer and retailers to set their own standards for what they’ll sell with an organic label.

For example, some manufacturers call a mattress organic even if only one component is organic. Colgate does not consider a mattress organic unless the entire product and all of its components are organic. If we use an organic cotton cover on a foam mattress, for example, we will say that the cover is organic but will not call the entire mattress organic.

“Last we checked, there’s no such thing as organic metal innersprings or organic foam. We choose to call our natural products “eco-friendlier” in order to be transparent with our customers,” says Dennis, Colgate’s Crib Mattress Expert.

Here at Colgate, integrity is paramount. So, while some manufacturers use the term “organic” generously in their marketing, we choose to be more judicious with how and when we do so. As a family-owned and operated business for three generations, we take exception when companies intentionally mislead consumers and market products that aren’t truly organic — that’s an ethical line we don’t cross. We proudly handcraft all of our mattresses here in the USA using the highest quality components.

Learn more about all of our products here.

Ask The Crib Mattress Specialist: Are Natural, Eco-friendly and Organic all the Same?

/in /by

Ask The Crib Mattress Specialist

Colgate Mattress created the “Ask the Crib Mattress Specialist” series in response to frequently asked questions from our valued customers. We’ll be publishing a new series blog post each month. We hope sharing our thoughts on these topics will help you better understand why we handcraft our products with your baby in mind using the highest industry standards.

If you have a question you’d like included in the series, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected].

Question: Hello, Crib Mattress Specialists! I often see the words “all-natural,” “eco-friendly” and “organic” used out there while researching crib mattresses and other baby products. But it’s hard to really understand the difference between the three. Aren’t they all the same? – Confused Connie

 

Hello, Connie! Thank you for your question.

Babies sleep upwards of 10-20 hours per day, so it goes without saying that the mattress your baby sleeps on matters. But as you well know, with so many crib mattresses on the market, it can be hard to understand the marketing terminology used – let alone discern the safety benefits and differences of each one. So today, we’ll do our best to help explain the main differences between the terms “natural” “eco-friendly” and “organic.”

Natural

The term “natural” typically refers to materials that can be found in nature (but this doesn’t necessarily mean they are organic – more on that later). Further, the FDA defines natural materials as any “extracted directly from plants or animal products as opposed to being produced synthetically.”  Examples of natural materials include untreated cotton, coconut shell husks and all-natural latex from plants.

Eco-friendly

The term “eco-friendly” usually refers to products that contribute to green living or practices that help reduce the consumption of natural resources like water and require little or no pesticides to grow. For example, Colgate’s EcoFoam™ is made with sustainable oils derived from plant sources, as opposed to animal fats or petroleum.

Organic

The term “organic” refers to materials that are cultivated without pesticides, chemical herbicides or synthetic fertilizers that can be harmful to the environment. In order for a material to be considered organic, ideally it should meet strict guidelines in regards to how it is processed, produced and handled. However, it should be noted that there is no industry-wide standard for qualifying a crib mattress as organic. Most crib mattresses that claim to be organic are only about 14% organic by weight. Which means 86% of the mattress is not organic, often using a vinyl or polyethylene interior.

Colgate’s Higher Standards

We hold ourselves to a higher standard than our industry. Every Colgate product passes all federal and state requirements for flammability and chemical composition. Our crib mattresses are also GREENGUARD Gold certified to have no harmful air emissions.

“If it’s not 100% organic, Colgate Mattress will not call it organic. We call it eco-friendly if the product uses natural and organic components in its composition,” says Dennis, Colgate’s Crib Mattress Expert.

Colgate Mattress has been a family owned and operated business for three generations and takes exception when companies intentionally mislead consumers and market products that aren’t truly organic.