The Most Sustainable Bedding Options For 2021
Organic Linen Bedding by Ecosophy
Looking for ethically sourced, environmentally friendly bedding for your home?
There's so many options when it comes to bedding these days, but finding sustainably made and ethically sourced options can be a little harder with them dotted across the internet. We want to help make your search a little easier with a guide below to our favourite sustainable bedding brands and products from our Bedding collection.
Click here for our full sustainable bedding catalogue.
What makes normal bedding unsustainable?
Standard bedding, typically made from Cotton which is a water consumptive crop also requires high levels of pesticides and insecticides during its production (around 4% and 10% of global use of these chemicals respectively!). These harmful chemicals can seep into local water supplies and pollute local ecosystems.
In addition to the damaging environmental impact of standard Cotton production, many of the largest Cotton producing countries fail to implement fair trade practices, workers' rights, and working standards with forced labour occurring in nine countries producing 65% of the world's Cotton (click here for further detail on ethical issues within Cotton supply chains). Amongst those countries include China, India, and Uzbekistan (of which Europe is the biggest single destination for Uzbek cotton).
How are brands tackling these issues?
In order to reduce the environmental impact of Bedding and in order to source it more ethically, brands are implementing fair trade practices and ensuring appropriate working standards are implemented in their supply chains. They are also implementing the use of alternative materials such as Organic Cotton which does not use any harmful chemicals in production, Linen (or Flax) which is a far less thirsty crop, or inventing entirely new materials utilising Bamboo viscose.
In addition to this, many brands are looking to bring the production processes closer to the customer in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the product, with many of the products below being produced in Western and Northern Europe.
Our favourite brands and options below are implementing some or all of the above methods in order to provide sustainable, ethically sourced alternatives for your bedroom. We hope you love them as much as we do!
1. Santa Living
Stylish, sustainable, and ethically sourced organic cotton bedding
Inspired by the Mediterranean, Santa Living pieces come from the minds of the two Northern Spanish creators, Josep and César. With their pieces designed to bring you a restful sleep, their bold bedding designs are made from a high quality 200 TC percale weave made of organic cotton, ensuring a cool and airy skin feel during your sleep. The minimal but colourful prints turn every bedroom into a place of peaceful relaxation.
We can't decide whether we love the Anka or Acrux designs more, with both double sets starting at £171.
Santa Livings' Acrux bedding set
Linen Tales' organic linen bedding
2. Linen Tales
Family Run OKEO-TEX Certified Linen Bedding From Lithuania
Linen Tales are a great family run business based in Lithuania and their bedding sets will add easy style to your bedroom. The 100% stone-washed linen finishes create an undone look that adds subtle texture, and in a choice of muted colours it's easy to style.
The set comes with a duvet cover with natural coconut shell button closures, and two soft pillowcases, setting you back £154 for a double duvet set.
3. TOAST
Organic Cotton Bedding Made in Portugal and India
Initially starting making night gowns in a barn in Wales in 1997, TOAST has come a long way and now produces a whole range of amazing sustainable homeware. TOAST has a social conscience policy, which includes building long standing relationships with artisan suppliers, using biodegradable and organic materials in production, and minimising any waste.
We particularly love their Organic Cotton Bedding range, which costs £89 for a duvet, with different sizes and full sets available.
TOAST's washed linen bedding
Ecosophy organic linen bedding
4. Ecosophy
GOTS Certified Organic Linen and Cotton Bedding
Ecosophy produces textiles for the home that are thoughtfully designed and sustainably made. They work with natural fibres only, most of which are organic, and use natural, plant-based dyes where possible.
Their great bedding options include GITS certified organic cotton and linen, grown in France and spun in Turkey or Portgual at suppliers factories where employees are paid living standard wages.
These high quality duvets will set you back £200 for a duvet, with different sizes and full sets also available.
5. TEKLA
Scandinavian style Percale Bedding Using 100% Organic and Oeko-Tex Certified Cotton
Looking for high quality, simple and clean designs for bedding that are free from harmful chemicals? Look no further than TEKLA.
Hailing from Copenhagen, this relatively young company source their eco-friendly Cotton being from Portugal. Aside from implementing sustainable materials in their products, TEKLA seek to reduce their environmental impact and ensure the products are produced ethically. You can read more about their mission here.
These amazing bedding sets come in multiple colourways, and start at £170 for a double duvet at Selfridges.
TEKLA organic cotton bedding
Undercover Jane duvet set
6. Undercover
Eucalyptus and Organic Cotton Bedding Made in Portgual
Undercover has been revolutionising bed linen since 2018 when founder Miriam Tyrangiel began combining clean cut designs, with a newly developed, award winning eco-friendly material made from Eucalyptus trees called TENCEL. TENCEL requires far less water in production than typical bed linen materials, and is produced in Portgual in a closed-loop process, minimising any waste.
Our favourite design from the range here at Erda is Ponto, which costs £150 for a double bedding set.
Check out the Ponto here!
7. House Babylon
Ethically Sourced, Price Conscious Cotton Bedding Free From Harmful Chemicals
House Babylon taken a simple, yet effective, stripped back approach to bedding focusing on matching strong colour ways with the highest quality eco-friendly cotton. House Babylon also focus on making their supply chain as transparent as possible, engaging with ethical process suppliers and selling direct to consumer, reducing the additional costs of selling through retailers.
These highly luxurious feeling bedding sets come in multiple colourways with double bedding sets with 250 thread count costing £60, and 600 thread count costing £145.
House Babylon bedding
Panda bamboo bedding
8. Panda
Luxurious Bamboo Bedding
Panda's bedding sets are made entirely of bamboo viscose which is naturally antibacterial and helps to protect against skin irritation and allergies making it suitable for sleepers that suffer from eczema or have sensitive skin.
Bamboo is a sustainable resource as it is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet, and uses only 1/3 of water compared to other plants.
These highly luxurious feeling bedding sets come in 5 different colour ways at Wearth, and will cost £110 for a full set.
9. Bedfolk
Ethically sourced and OKEO-TEX certified high quality, affordable bedding.
Bedfolk was started by husband and wife, Nick and Jo, in order to provide ethically sourced and high quality alternatives, at affordable, high street price points. Their range includes a mixture of relaxed and luxe style bedding, all of which look great. We particularly love the luxe cotton bedding, a sustainable alternative that can'tbe found anywhere else in this list, or online it seems!
Check out the Luxe Cotton sets here.
True to their word, Bedfolk's pricing for its ethically sourced alternatives remains affordable, with double duvet sets from £149.
Bedfolk's Luxe cotton bedding
MADE.COM Zana organic bedding
10. MADE.COM
New Organic Cotton Range From MADE.COM
We wouldn't normally associate MADE.COM with sustainable options for homeware, however, we were pleasantly surprised to see they are producing more and more sustainable, and ethically sourced, product ranges. The new Zana bedding range provides a bedding option which is produced from chemical-free Cotton produced in Portugal.
With double bedding sets starting from £69, these represent a great affordable bedding option that doesn't cost the Earth.