What is pillow certification?
Pillow certification is a test report on material safety, durability, and environmental protection, which is issued by a professional third-party organization. Conventional certifications include CertiPur-US, Oeko-tex Standard 100, REACH, ROHS, GOTS, GOLS, etc.
Why do we need pillow certification?
Pillow certification is the secret key to knowing whether or not a pillow is suitable for your needs. Usually, when we buy pillows, we always pay more attention to some tangible things, such as whether the pillow fabric is soft, whether it is comfortable to lie on, whether the pillowcase can be removed and machine washed, and whether the packaging is exquisite. But for some invisible things, such as whether it will emit toxic chemicals, whether it will cause allergic reactions, or whether it is harmful to the environment, we cannot judge for ourselves. At this time, we need to use certificates to judge.
In the bedding industry, the companies apply for certification against certain aspects of the company processes and products. The company’s certification generally includes production equipment, production technology, factory area, management system, social responsibility, etc. Product certification is primarily to confirm the quality of the raw materials used in the product. It is done by testing and analyzing the product’s chemical composition to verify whether the pillow contains substances that are harmful to the environment or the human body. The pillow manufacturers get their products certified to build customer trust in the quality of their pillows. The certification proves that the pillows have passed quality tests and necessary standards.
Pillow certifications specific to regions and countries:
Global
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is a global certification, and it requires the companies to test the pillows against any regulated and non-regulated substances like formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can cause harm to human health. All of our textile materials like fabric, strings, zipper, label, etc. are all comply with Oeko-tex Standard 100.
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
The GOTS is a standard global certification that confirms that the manufacturers use organic products sourced from green supply chains to make pillows. If the pillows have a GOTS label grade as “organic,” they must contain a minimum of 95% certified organic fibres. In contrast, if they have the label grade “made with organic,” the pillows must contain a minimum of 70% certified organic fibres.
Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS)
GOLS ensures that pillows that use latex have at least 95 percent organic latex. The companies use latex derived from rubber trees at only certified organic plantations that do not use chemical pesticides in their harvesting process.
European Union
REACH
There is a REACH certificate that verifies that the pillows are compliant with the EU REACH regulation. Interestingly, REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals. This regulation authorizes that pillows manufactured, imported, and sold within the European Union are free of chemicals, heavy metals, and pollutants. Luckily for the manufacturers, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has established and regularly updates a list of harmful chemical items that pillows should not have. Therefore, companies can make sure their products do not have high quantities of any restricted items from the list.
Green Cerfitication
In addition, Green certifications are becoming quite popular with European companies. These certifications are primarily for the present-day environment-conscious consumer. Green certification checks pillows against the usage of any synthetic materials that emit toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Now no one wants to compromise their health over a night of sleep, right? So, this is how green certifications achieve customer confidence by ensuring that they have a good quality sleep without sacrificing sustainability.
EN ISO standard 12952
The EN ISO standard 12952 applies to all EU countries. It assesses the ignitability of the pillows and pillowcases to small open flames. However, many EU nations have their own particular standards of testing the flammability of pillows. For example, Germany has German DIN 4102 B1, also known as Flame Retardant Standard. The UK has a BS 7175 standard to test the ignitability of pillows by smouldering and flaming ignition sources.
United States
CertiPur-US
In addition, there is CertiPur-US which certification applies to the memory foam in the pillows and ensures that the product is free from polybrominated diphenyl ether (PDBE) and flame retardants. A non-profit organization manages this certification in the US. [Company Name and Location] sell CertiPur-US foam pillows, which ensures comfort without the use of ozone depleters, flame retardants, and other heavy metals and chemicals. Our pillows have CertiPur-US foam that ensures comfort without the use of ozone depleters, flame retardants, and other heavy metals and chemicals.
CPSC
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (or CPSC) requires pillows made specifically for infants must follow CPSIA’s (US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) specifications. The companies self-issue a Children’s Product Certification (or CPC) to verify that their pillows comply with the required infant product safety rules.
Similar to the EU, the US state of California requires that the pillows for infants or children under 12 years of age must not contain flame-retardant (FR) chemicals at levels above 1,000 parts per million (ppm).
ASP:02:01 Pillow Certification
To ensure that pillows do not have allergenic and irritant materials, the companies get the ASP:02:01 Pillow Certification. This certification is approved and adopted by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. As part of the certification process, the pillows go through physical and chemical testing to check against any properties that can cause asthma and allergy symptoms. The outer cover of the pillow is a crucial component and acts as a barrier to allergens. When the certification provider tests that the pillow cover can withstand any eradication techniques, is breathable and is free of any harsh chemicals that can trigger irritants, they classify it as meeting asthma & allergy friendly ASP:02:01 Certification Standard.
USDA
The US Department of Agriculture(USDA) certification agencies serve the growing organic sector. The USDA issues the OEKO and GOTS seals that ensure that the manufacturers have their pillow fabric and textiles tested for harmful substances. In the case of a pillow, the USDA organic seals require that the product contains a minimum of 95 percent certified organic materials. In addition, the manufacturers must employ processes that do not use potentially harmful chemicals. [Company Name and Location] sell pillow covers that are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified. It means that the company has not used critical levels of harmful chemicals in any stage of its production process.
AU
AS/NZS
The Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1957:1998 Textiles – Care labeling requires that the pillows and pillow covers have adequate care labeling instructions in English attached to them. The care label should also have relevant descriptions and fabric composition.
In conclusion, by doing proper research, verifying certifications, you can find the pillow that best suits your needs. You can sleep peacefully without worrying about what it can do to your health or to the planet.
The certifications we got:
To be a factory with social responsibility, we have years’ experience for export. We are very clear about the product certification requirements of various countries. Our production process strictly complies with these requirements. At present, the certificates we got are CertiPur-US, Oeko-tex Standard 100, SGS, REACH, ROHS, CE, SASO, etc. For more known about us, welcome contact.
