Certipur-US® Certified Purple Mattress. Learn More!

Purple Proudly Uses CertiPUR-US® Certified Foam

Shopping for mattresses online can be a bit, well, overwhelming—the information overload struggle is real! Between the sellers’ marketing, independent professional and personal reviews, blogs, vlogs, and social media, it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction to figure out what actually matters.

But through all the hogwash, one topic tends to stand out above the rest: this is the bed you’ll spend the next several years of your life on—how do you ensure it will do more good than harm for you, your family, and the environment?

Luckily there are some great certifications that you can look for while on the hunt for a new bed. When it comes to any flexible polyurethane foam (a commonly used foam in mattresses and furniture), the CertiPUR-US® program is pretty much the bee’s knees. Since Purple uses CertiPUR-US® certified foam in our mattress, it only makes sense to lay out just what this awesome, highly sought-after certification means!

What is the CertiPUR-US® Program?

First of all, the CertiPUR-US® program is administered by an independent not-for-profit organization. The program began nearly a decade ago to combat substandard foams being imported from other countries. In some cases, these shoddy foams used in bedding and upholstered furniture contained substances that had been banned in the U.S. or were listed by chemical watch groups as potentially harmful. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

The CertiPUR-US certification program and review process was developed in close collaboration with environmentalists, chemists, and accredited laboratory research scientists, along with some of the leading furniture manufacturers in the world.

Today, the program strives to maintain transparency by providing the technical guidelines and testing requirements furniture manufacturers and foam producers must meet to earn certification.

CertiPUR-US is comparable with other international VOC emissions standards, including Eco-Label (EU), LGA (Germany), OkoTex 100 (Class IV Mattress) EUI, Blue Angel (Netherlands), IKEA, AQS Greenlabel, and BIFMA criteria.

CertiPUR-US Questions & Answers

What are the requirements for certification?

Foams certified through the CertiPUR-US® program meet rigorous standards for content, emissions, and durability, and are analyzed by accredited, independent laboratories.

Certified foams are made without:

• Ozone depleters
• PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (“Tris”) flame retardants
• Mercury, lead and other heavy metals
• Formaldehyde
• Phthalates regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission

Does the foam in the Purple® mattress off-gas?

If you’ve started research on mattresses, you’ve probably seen that word scattered throughout websites, reviews, blogs, etc. But what is it? According to CustomMade.com, “off-gassing refers to the release of airborne particulates or chemicals—dubbed volatile organic compounds (VOC’s)—from common household products.”

VOC emissions are toxic for indoor air quality and can be found in certain paints, carpeting, composite wood products, cleaning products, and furniture.

If you, like most people, try to avoid them, have no fear! Certified foams (which Purple exclusively uses) are low VOC emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 parts per million).

What Are the Risks of Buying a Non CertiPUR-US Mattress?

You may end up with a mattress made up of toxic heavy metals or chemicals, which may cause you to get sick.

CertiPUR-US guarantees that flexible polyurethane foam products are manufactured without heavy metals or chemicals that have been determined by the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals to cause health risks such as cancer.

In the short term, foam mattress off-gassing/VOC emissions can cause irritation, especially in people with chemical sensitivities or respiratory conditions such as asthma.

In the long-term, some of these harmful chemicals could increase health risks such as cancer or liver/kidney damage.

Does the CeritiPUR-US Certification Mean the Foam Mattress is Made Without Chemical Flame Retardants?

Not necessarily. It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

The CertiPUR-US Certification means that mattresses made with polyurethane foam are free of flame retardants that are known to cause cancer, genetic defects or may damage fertility/unborn children.

Basically, mattress and furniture manufacturers can still use flame retardants or flame-resistant materials so long as they don’t contain any of the chemicals listed above.

The Purple Mattress is made with a protective flame barrier to keep consumers safe from fire hazards without the health risks of harmful chemicals.

We use a special non-toxic fabric to create a barrier that naturally slows flames. In addition to being CertiPUR-US certified, our flame barrier fabric is also Greenguard Gold Certified, which means it meets the health standards established for use in schools and healthcare facilities.

How does CertiPUR-US make sure certified polyurethane foams stay in compliance?

Certified foams have to be recertified after six months, and annually thereafter. In addition, CertiPUR-US administrators conduct random verification checks to be sure foams remain in compliance.

The complete Technical Guidelines for the certification process are available at www.certipur.us.

Where can I find more information on CertiPUR-US® certified foams?

CertiPUR-US prides itself on transparency. If you have further questions, take a look at the FAQ section. Industry experts credit the CertiPUR-US® program for raising the standards for flexible polyurethane foam sold in the United States. The organization considers its technical guidelines a living document, and criteria are updated as needed based on scientific evidence.

What About Purple’s Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ Grid?

The sciencey magic that makes Purple stand out from the crowd is the Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ Smart Comfort Grid™ that makes up the top two inches of the mattress. Since it’s not foam, it’s not certified by CertiPUR-US…so is it still safe?

The short answer is a resounding YES! Every ingredient in the secret sauce is FDA-approved food- or food-contact-grade material, including the ultra-light powder coating on the surface. It’s all non-toxic and hypoallergenic…and did we mention crazy durable?! This material has been used in specialty medical products, such as long-term hospital beds and wheelchair cushions, for over 20 years!

Now you know when we say “sleep easy on a Purple” we really mean you can rest assured that Purple products are made of the highest-grade, non-toxic materials out there. And we promise to maintain that standard of excellence for…well…ever.

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