Why EWG VERIFIED® Matters

The EWG Verified® mark ensures that at Avocado, we make our mattresses with the safest materials around for healthy, sound sleep.

From food labels and home cleaning products to skincare, consumers want more visibility than ever into what goes into the items they purchase. They also know what to look for — like synthetic ingredients, chemicals, and parabens. But what about the materials in your mattress?

Despite the known harms, big-name mattress brands may add chemical flame retardants, fiberglass, toxic adhesives, fiberglass, and even PFAS forever chemicals to their beds. Exposure to these elements can have numerous negative health impacts. And due to greenwashing and misleading marketing tactics, companies claiming to offer a “better” mattress often still include some of these dangerous components.

That’s why the EWG Verified® mark matters. Avocado is proud that our entire line of adult, kids, and crib mattresses carry this prestigious certification — it’s an achievement that reflects our high standard for safety, transparency, and ingredient disclosure that few brands have reached across their full mattress range.

“This new category of EWG Verified® mattresses marks a new era in whole mattress safety, offering consumers peace of mind and empowering families to make informed decisions,” says Homer Swei, Ph.D., senior vice president of Healthy Living Science at the Environmental Working Group. “Earning the EWG Verified® mark isn’t easy. Our criteria are demanding, as anyone familiar with our exacting standards can attest.”

Photo courtesy of Avocado Green.

To achieve this trusted and respected certification, a mattress must adhere to strict benchmarks for consumer health and safety. Some of these key requirements include:

Full disclosure of all ingredients and materials used in the product.

The product must be free of intentionally added chemicals or materials linked to health harm, like chemical flame retardants, polyurethane foam, synthetic latex, vinyl, formaldehyde, phthalates, chemicals included in the state of California’s Proposition 65 list of known carcinogens and reproductive toxicants, and aromatic or halogenated solvent-based adhesives.

The use of safer materials with lower VOC emissions.

Prohibition of fibers grown using pesticides.

No use of PVCs or “forever chemicals” like PFAS.

Companies must submit to an annual review by EWG and comply with updated criteria if necessary.

You and your loved ones deserve healthy sleep. After all, we spend about 26 years of our lives sleeping. The trouble is, the mattress industry is largely unregulated. That makes it hard for consumers to make educated decisions about the beds they’re bringing into their homes.

Photo courtesy of Avocado Green.

Often, you’re putting your well-being at risk without even realizing it. That’s especially alarming when you consider that materials like vinyl waterproofing used in kids’ and crib mattresses contain hormone-disrupting phthalates while synthetic latex and polyurethane foam contain carcinogens.

Third-party regulators like EWG help make more informed choices possible. When you see the EWG Verified® mark on a mattress, you can rest easy knowing that it’s made with the best materials out there and has been painstakingly tested with your health and safety in mind.

“Our mark simplifies shopping for consumers who want to quickly find products that meet our rigorous standards and are better for their health,” says Homer Swei, Ph.D. “EWG Verified® takes awareness of harmful chemicals to the next level, providing trusted information from a team of scientists consumers rely on. Only products with transparent ingredient labels and that meet our strict standards — far beyond minimal government requirements — earn the EWG Verified mark.”

At Avocado, our mission is always the same, to raise the bar for what it means to be a sustainable brand and put the health of consumers and families first. Submitting our mattresses for certification through EWG is entirely voluntary, but it’s part of our unwavering commitment to non-toxic sleep products.

In addition to EWG VERIFIED®, Avocado is the only mattress brand to earn all three of the most respected health certifications, including OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 for our full innerspring mattress and MADE SAFE®, ensuring a comprehensive commitment to consumer health and environmental safety.

Photo courtesy of Avocado Green.

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Meredith is a freelance writer specializing in wellness, sustainability, and the outdoors. When she's not writing or brainstorming new content, you can find her barefoot in her backyard, cooking up a new recipe, and spending time with her husband, her beagle, and her cat.