Down alternative comforters are on the rise, and for a good reason—every night when we go to bed, our health, sleep, planet and animals are at stake, and people are looking to make the right type of impact.
Data source: Google Trends
What is a comforter? 🧐
Well, it depends where you are—Australians call it a doona; for Brits it’s a continental quilt, and in America, it’s normally called a comforter and sometimes interchanged with a duvet or quilt.
But even though the name choice can be polarizing, comforters are universally used to provide comfort. They relax your body and mind and help you produce much needed muscle relaxation and sleep hormones.
As sleep health becomes increasingly popular and conscious consumers purchase more sustainable products, the textile industry continues to innovate to meet demands. Most notable is the shift to more eco-friendly, down alternative comforters.
Why down alternative comforter?
In short, environmental impact, toxicity and issues with the unethical production of traditional down have created a demand for a humane, planet-friendly alternative. Down is a known health hazard, associated with asthma, has a high carbon footprint and is almost always made with a process called live-plucking—that’s when feathers and the undercoating of geese and ducks are violently pulled off their skin while they’re fully conscious (who can go to sleep well on down comforter after knowing that?).
However, many down alternative comforters are filled with synthetic petroleum fabrics like polyester. The production of these fabrics requires a lot of energy, and the end product is synthetic, so if you are looking for more earth-friendly, non-toxic material you need to do your research.
How to Choose a Down Alternative Comforter 🤷♀️
When we talk to our customers about why they chose an ettitude comforter, we normally get a mix of the reasons below, which may encapsulate a good set of qualities to look for in a comforter.
- Comfort. Our comforters come in various weights, but even the lightest is slightly weighted, like a weighted blanket, and when combined with a silky-soft duvet cover made from our signature CleanBamboo™, it’s hard to beat this luxury.
- Health and toxicity. Skin is our largest organ, and new research suggests that the skin can absorb all sorts of chemicals. For example, many fabrics have remnants of silicone waxes, petroleum scours, softeners, heavy metals, flame retardants, ammonia, and formaldehyde. Our sweat and body heat accelerates absorption of these chemicals into our body. That’s very worrying, especially if you like to sleep naked (and there’s lots of benefits for that)! All of ettitude’s products are Oeko-Tex Certified, meaning there is no chemical residue whatsoever on our products.
- Thermoregulation. Our 100% organic bamboo filling is a natural fiber and is therefore more breathable and cooler than most traditional alternatives.
- Environmental footprint. Sometimes sleeping well means sleeping with a clear mind knowing that you have done the best you can to protect our planet.
- Sleep health. Unlike previous generations of bamboo fabrics, such as rayon or viscose, our comforter uses bamboo filling and 100% organic bamboo lyocell fabric as a shell, which includes no toxic chemicals. Plus, it is naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic.
- Cool & Dry. We all want to feel like a million dollars. OurCleanBamboo fabric is naturally moisture wicking. Your comforter will keep you comfortable and dry.
Conscious consumption. Many of our customers support us because they want to support female founders, vegan companies (yep we are PETA approved), ethical companies and/or all of the above.
What is the best down alternative comforter?
All of our comforters are vegan, cooling and hypoallergenic, so there is no way to choose poorly. It really just comes down to personal preference:
- Bamboo Comforter (Summer Weight). This slightly weighted comforter is made with our exclusive, sustainable, 100% plant based CleanBamboo™ fabric shell, plus organic bamboo fiber filling. It is meant for warmer climates and summer months. To care for this comforter, we recommend finding an eco-friendly dry cleaner.
- Bamboo Comforter (Winter Weight). Made for chillier nights, this weighted comforter is also made with our exclusive, sustainable, 100% plant based CleanBamboo™ fabric shell, plus organic bamboo fiber filling. Again, to care for this comforter we recommend finding an eco-friendly dry cleaner.
- Down Alternative Comforter. Our down alternative comforter is filled with vegan, cruelty-free down alternative filling made from organic bamboo and recycled water bottles—which unlike the previous two options, makes it ultra-fluffy. It’s lightweight but suitable for all seasons. And BONUS: it does not clump. To care for your Down Alternative Comforter, simply throw it into your washer machine.
So there you have it. Rest easy knowing that your down alternative comforter is gentle on the planet. You can learn more about ettitude’s impact and sustainable initiatives in our first ever Impact Report.