Spring Air begins campaign to stop greenwashing at retail

New Nature's Rest Green Index provides shopping tool

Staff Staff -- Furniture Today, August 21, 2008

TAMPA, FL. -- Spring Air has introduced the mattress industry's first "Green Index" as a marketing tool for its popular Nature's Rest brand in a move to help consumers better understand the natural features of the company's bedding.

As more manufacturers offer green products, it has become increasingly difficult for consumers to differentiate between what is green and what isn't, according to the company. Spring Air's Green Index uses a G-Scale by which each Nature's Rest mattress is assigned a number that corresponds to the percentages of inches of natural materials within each mattress. A point-of-sale card is placed at the foot of the mattress for full transparency to the consumer.

This consumer handout describes the three Green levels of Spring Air’s bedding.

The "Green" entry level products carry a G01 to G49 rating and include ingredients such as a Nature's Tech soy-based polyurethane eco-friendly core, natural latex upholstery comfort levels, cashmere blended fibers, cashmere knit covers and a furniture-grade renewable wood foundation.

At the "Greener" level, products carry a G50 to G99 rating and add an upgraded latex core, an organic knit cover and natural Joma wool fibers.

The top level, "Greenest," carries a G100 rating and is fully organic. It has a 100% natural eco-core, and there is no polyurethane in the mattress.

"There is so much greenwashing in the marketplace today, and many of our competitors are confusing customers into buying products they think are fully natural, when really only a small percentage is actually green," said Bob Hellyer, CEO of Spring Air. "So we are saying to the consumer, you make the choice: buy a mattress that is green, greener or greenest, whichever you prefer."

What Spring Air has done with the G-Scale is a paradigm shift for the industry, Hellyer added. "It is a tool that actually explains what is inside the bed, in a straightforward, easy-to-understand way, which allows the consumer to pick what they want. No confusion, no greenwashing -- just pure information so they can make the right choice."