Sustainable Bedding and Vegan-Friendly Mattresses
Our bedrooms should be a safe haven, not just for us but for the planet and animals too. Most conventional sheets, pillows, and duvets use animal products, harsh chemicals or unsustainable farming. This can harm ecosystems and even affect human health.
Sustainable vegan bedding skips animal fibres and toxic finishes to protect waterways, reduce emissions, and support animal welfare. You’ll also sleep cleaner with fewer chemicals touching your skin each night.
Bedding Safety for Babies and Children
It’s best to buy mattresses new. This is important for babies (one risk for crib death is mould). The Lullaby Trust has tips on choosing a safe mattress for babies (avoid cot bumpers and pillows).
Babies are more sensitive to chemicals and allergens. When picking baby bedding:
- Stay with organic cotton sheets and light blankets.
- Avoid feather or down-filled bedding, which can cause allergies or breathing risks.
- No pillows under age one – stick to firm, flat sleeping surfaces. Babies should sleep on a firm mattress in a bare crib, free of pillows, blankets and soft animals. When time comes to use a pillow, use a small, flat, toddler-sized pillow designed for developing necks and spines.
- Pyjamas and bedding should pass UK fire safety standards. Organic options can be just as flame retardant, without extra chemical sprays.
For extra peace of mind, look for brands that state baby-safe or hypoallergenic on their products.
Sustainable Bedding and Fire Regulations
Sustainable bedding (and pyjamas) complies with fire regulations, but due to no flame retardants, take extra care:
- Avoid overloaded plugs & convector heaters
- Don’t leave warm laptops and phones on beds
- Test smoke alarms weekly, and know escape routes.
- Avoid ‘floaty sleeves or nightgowns’ (especially for children)
- Don’t smoke indoors. Use a personal ashtray outside.
- Avoid fabric conditioners (these increase flammability).
Avoid perfumes, essential oils and scented candles near babies or pets (air rooms before allowing them back in). Learn toxic plants to avoid near pets (including sago palm and lilies).
Dip & Doze (affordable organic cotton bedding)
Dip & Doze specialises in simple, high-quality organic cotton bedding that puts comfort and clarity first. No fuss, no gimmicks, just natural materials that work.
Organic cotton matters. It is grown without harsh chemicals, it treats your skin kindly, and it helps regulate temperature while you sleep. The result is bedding that feels luxuriously gentle yet sturdy enough for daily use.
Why Dip and Doze Bedding Feels So Good
Organic cotton has a natural softness you can tell at the first touch. Since the cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, the fibres retain their smoothness and strength. Fewer chemicals in the field and during finishing means fewer irritants against your skin. If you have allergies or reactive skin, this gentle contact makes a clear difference.
The fabric allows air to flow between your body and the duvet. Cotton fibres have tiny spaces that let heat escape and moisture disperse. You stay dry, your body temperature settles, and you are less likely to wake at 3 a.m. feeling hot. The weave matters here. Simple, balanced weaves, such as percale or sateen, keep surfaces smooth and breathable while maintaining durability.
Organic bedding helps lower impact from farm to bedroom. Fewer synthetic inputs, cleaner processing, and long-lasting quality all reduce emissions over time. The longest-lasting sheet is often the greenest sheet.
Easy Washing and Maintenance Guide
- Sort light colours and wash on a gentle cycle at 30 to 40°C.
- Use mild, bleach-free detergent. Choose fragrance-free if you have sensitive skin.
- Avoid fabric softeners. They reduce absorbency and can trap heat.
- Wash inside out to protect surface fibres.
- Do not overload the machine. Give fabric room to move.
- Line dry where possible. If using a dryer, select low heat and remove while slightly damp.
- Smooth by hand or iron on medium while still a little damp.
- Store in a cool, dry cupboard. Avoid direct sunlight to preserve colour.
Piglet in Bed: Beautifully Soft Linen Bedding
These linen duvet sets are sold in beautiful colours, plain or with pretty Pembroke-style stripes. Linen is a very comfortable material for bedding, that’s warm in winter and cool in summer. It also absorbs moisture well, so you retain a comfortable night’s sleep, even if you sweat a lot in bed.
Linen can also be grown in Europe (unlike cotton) so has fewer air miles. It creases a bit, so just go with ‘crumpled bedding’, and site the bed away from strong sunlight, to avoid fading. Even better, you can safely wash linen, without releasing microplastics from the machine.
This linen is pre-washed for a fabric that should last around a third longer than cotton. Do not bleach fabric. Sold with a sets of matching pillowcases.
LittleLeaf: Beautiful Organic Cotton Bedding Sets
LittleLeaf Organic bedding sets (use code Naturally to receive an extra pair of pillowcases for each set sold) include a sateen weave sheet and pillowcases, with matching duvet cover, all wrapped in organic cotton.
Making a wonderful housewarming treat or a gift to others, choose from many muted colours. The 300 thread count means this is luxury to sleep in too!
Luff: Cooling Bamboo Mattresses & Bedding
Luff is a brand of eco-friendly bedding, that has been designed with sleep experts and doctors, to ensure proper alignment of the spine, while in the land of nod.
All this bedding is made to last for years, and the natural materials won’t leach microplastics from washing machines. Natural bamboo (industrial bamboo is not the same as fresh shoots eaten by pandas) helps you to stay warm in winter, and cool in summer.
This bedding is so good that it now graces the bedrooms of many top hotels. The six pillows combine bamboo with a blue cooling gel, so a bit like memory foam, but without the chemical drawbacks.
These pillows give all the comfort of memory foam, but won’t make you hot and sticky, and you can just wash the cover when needed.
The organic bamboo bedding sets are also luxurious to sleep on, and help you stay cool at night. Made with wooden buttons, they are sold in various sizes from single to super-king.
The bamboo mattress is designed to last years, and again keeps you comfortable and cool. This is a non-flip mattress, just turn it once a month to keep it firm. It also has individual pocket springs, to take various weights. Sold with a 10-year warranty and 200-night trial.
The cover is removable, but dry clean only. Sold with an optional eco alternative to memory foam mattress topper.
Bamboo Mattresses & Duck-Friendly Duvets!
A mattress is expensive, so buy a good one (most companies collect the old ones, or council can collect, for a small fee, if booked in advance).Most ‘eco-friendly mattresses’ are made from wool, but there are a few vegan versions.
Panda makes good bedding, including a bamboo mattress combined with recycled polyester for a comfortable memory foam mattress. The zip-off top bamboo cover is easy to remove and keep clean, wipe the mattress clean with a damp cloth. Do not tumble dry the cover, use a steamer for a deep-clean.
The mattress has up to 1500 encased pocket springs to respond to sleeping position that alter in firmness where pressure needs to be relieved. Sold with a 10-year guarantee, it’s sent in zero waste packing and complies with fire regulations.
Choose Duck-Friendly Duvets!
A few companies use Icelandic down from birds that naturally moult, but most ‘down duvets’ contain feathers from factory-farmed birds.
Panda Duvets are in 4.5 or 10.5 tog (or combine with SnuggleSnap for serious warmth). There is a size guide with tips to measure your bedroom. If you’re over 6 feet, choose a king or super-king to stop your feet hanging over the edge!
If you sleep with someone else (that includes pets), choose a small double upwards, considering the space you need (and size of dogs!) and space you need to move around.
Organic Cotton Blankets (20-year guarantee!)
Luks Linen makes lovely organic cotton blankets ideal to put on beds. These are expensive (made by Turkish artisans) but carry a whopping 20-year guarantee!
Organic cotton is much better for the planet, as the fibres have not been treated with chemicals This means that the blankets will last a lot longer, and also won’t release microplastics in washing machines, when being laundered.
If donating old blankets/towels to animal shelters, avoid giving ones with strings and tassels (could tangle in boxes).
Organic Cotton Pyjamas (for men & women)
These dark navy organic cotton men’s pyjamas (also in green and rust) are ideal for cosy nights and lazy mornings, crafted with premium organic cotton with a brushed-back finish for extra warmth on chilly nights. They feature a classic design and relaxed fit. Machine-washable.
Organic cotton is better for the planet, wildlife and farmers, as conventional cotton accounts for 25% of all the world’s pesticide use. As fibres are not treated with chemicals, organic cotton lasts longer too, and is often more comfortable for people with skin conditions, like eczema.
Natural cotton (hemp and linen) are all biodegradable, so you can safely launder clothing made from these fabrics, without microplastics leaching from the washing machine, into the sea.
Noctu is another organic cotton nightwear brand, which sells what The Guardian says are ‘the best organic pyjamas to snuggle up in’. Ideal also for lounging around in comfort and style, you can also use these for yoga.
Made from the finest organic cotton cotton, the harem pants feature elasticated waistbands, with seam pockets and working drawcords. Team with a short-sleeved top for ultimate sleep comfort. Made ethically in England by skilled seamstresses.
Sleepy Doe offers pretty floral pyjamas, made in England from organic cotton. This vintage rose set has a blouse with popper opening and comfortable trousers with elastic waist and no side seam. Printed with water-based inks.
Little Leaf Organic makes organic cotton pyjamas and robes for women, men and children, with coconut shell buttons and elasticated waists, with adjustable drawstrings, in organic cotton bags. Made in a solar-powered factory, which uses 91% less water than non-organic cotton.