eco Impact of Down & Feathers Versus Polyester
Often we get a question from a concerned consumer about the eco impact of their buying decisions. In this case they want to know which bedding has the least eco impact. So we will discuss the two options we know pretty well - natural down and feathers versus polyester.
We’ll start with the easy one - polyester. Polyester filling can come from virgin polyester or reclaimed polyester. Virgin polyester comes from petroleum. Reclaimed polyester comes from recycled polyester from plant scraps (remnant fiber from carpet manufacturing is one example). Some polyesters are carcinogenic in some form and can off gas. Polyester fibers used for bed fillings can have some distinct advantages - they can be made hypoallergenic and with the right materials - antimicrobial.
Natural fillings are a by product of the poultry indsutry in China and Eastern Europe. They are renewable, sustainable and breakdown (like hundreds of years later). Natural fillings can also be reclaimed by simply washing the fibers and sanitzing them again. Down and feathers can be washed to such a clean state as to make them hypoallergenic like our RestAssured process.
Both filling materials can be used with various cloths like cotton or TENCEL blends for an extra green solution. Both down and down alternative fillings can keep you warm. Down, however being natures best insulator does a more efficient job at it. Therefore - to lower your home heating bill you can use quality down bedding to allow the thermostat to go down and still keep you warm and snuggly.
That is the green truth!
Posted in Energy Savings on Sat, February 7th, 2009 at 5:33 am.
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