HEALTHY MATERIALS
Many Avocado products are MADE SAFE® Certified (you can view every certified product of ours here). When a product carries the MADE SAFE certification, it means the independent organization has vetted the materials used to manufacture the product looking for substances that are known or suspected to harm human health or the environment. It’s not a laboratory and does not test. Instead, MADE SAFE screens reported ingredients to ensure they do not contain any of the 6,500-plus known harmful substances. Note that some substances may have category specific allowances or technically unavoidable content, in which case either additional testing or threshold requirements may apply.
WHY MADE SAFE MATTERS
Americans spend, on average, 90 percent of their days inside. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air can be five times more polluted than what’s outside. These toxins come from cleaning products, furniture, flooring, cabinets, paint, and other building materials. We have agencies to regulate outdoor air pollution. That’s not the case with indoor air. The best we can do to protect ourselves and our families is to reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals. That’s where MADE SAFE comes in. Children are especially vulnerable. (If you want to go deep down this rabbit hole, read the New Yorker’s excellent long-form feature on the subject.)
INDOOR TOXINS IMPACT HEALTH
Indoor toxins can be really dangerous. The EPA estimates that thousands of products release invisible gasses, known as volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), which can cause all sorts of nasty ailments. Think eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, loss of coordination, and nausea. They can damage the liver, kidney, and central nervous system, and some are suspected or known to cause cancer. Children are especially vulnerable.
According to MADE SAFE, the polyurethane foam found in some mattresses is a source of VOC emissions. That material, which is made from ingredients derived from fossil fuels, is also highly combustible, so it’s often treated with flame retardants, which are in turn associated with serious health and environmental impacts.
MADE SAFE and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are also seriously concerned about isocyanates, a family of chemical compounds. (Read more about their impacts here). The properties of isocyanates make them great for foam products, in which they’re widely used. But exposure to them can cause asthma attacks, respiratory diseases, skin inflammation, and general chemical sensitivity. That’s why MADE SAFE encourages the use of healthier natural and organic certified materials. With this in mind, we only use organic certified latex, cotton, and wool in our mattresses, pillows, sheets, and mattress toppers. It’s a distinction that matters, which the following conversation with MADE SAFE CEO, Amy Ziff, underscores: