A Vegan Mattress does not contain any animal products or by-products. That means no wool, horse hair and any other animal hair.
All Essentia mattresses are wool-free and vegan and here's why. Vegans will be glad to know that, ethics aside, animal fibers should not be used in a mattress unless you're prepared to take the wool or horse hair out each spring and wash it.
Here's Why Animal Fibers Should NOT be Used
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They're a Nesting Ground for Critters. Wool sheds particles that are eaten by other insects. Dust mites thrive in wool.
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Bacteria Build Up. Animal fibers made of protein are particularly sensitive to bacterial attack.
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3 options are available for Wool used in mattresses:
1) Organic
2) Virgin
3) Chemically treated
Sheep are typically treated with pesticide chemicals to reduce lice and bow fly infestation. Once the wool is taken from the sheep and washed these chemicals end up polluting the waterways. Pesticide residue always remains on the wool. To reduce these chemicals there's talk about "genetically improving sheep" to resist pests.
Organic (wool or horse hair) really should be cleaned at least once a year as it is not chemically treated to ward off pests and bacteria. Would you wear the same wool sweater every night for a year without washing it? Most people don't think about this before buying a wool covered mattress. Most mattress companies don't talk about it either.
Little anecdote. My Italian friend used to sleep on a wool mattress. Every spring his grandmother would take all the wool out, clean it by hand, let it dry and re-work it into its sleeve. Gatta love the Nona's.
Why is Wool even found in Mattresses?
Wool has a great story. It's natural and can be certified organic...better than synthetic without a doubt. It wicks away moisture...people love the word "wick"... oooo it wicks! It's the only readily available natural option to soften up a sleep surface. It also does do a good job at regulating temperature too.
Wool is a natural fire retardant however it does NOT pass fire retardant regulations. Unless compressed to a thick cardboard-like state wool does not pass United States FR laws. It does not withstand a 2 foot wide blowtorch open flame for 70 seconds. Wools used in mattresses are always backed with a fire retardant in the US.
This is why Essentia's wool-free organic mattresses use one of the only non-toxic flame retardants to pass flammability testing and resits allergens.
