Saving the Environment!

Ever asked yourself how you could help saving the environment? Well, purchasing the right eco latex mattress might help

Saving the Environment

Ever asked yourself how you could help saving the environment? Well, purchasing the right eco latex mattress might help!

Vita Talalay latex mattresses and pillows are produced with natural materials. Vita Talalay gives more back to the environment than it takes.

What is CO2?

CO2 is the chemical name of carbon dioxide. It is a clear gas composed of carbon and oxygen. The near Earth surface environment contains around 121 million billion metric tons of carbon. Yes, that's right, 121 MILLION BILLION metric tons.

Normally CO2 is a gas, however in temperatures under -78°C (-109°F) it condenses into a white solid called ‘dry ice’. Dry ice vaporizes directly to CO2 gas in a process called sublimation. Liquid CO2 can be formed under pressures above 5.1 atmospheres.

CO2 is an essential to plant life and in the global carbon cycle. Plants take in CO2, absorb the carbon to live and grow, and exhale the oxygen. The carbon recombines with oxygen whenever the plant dies or burns, which is why and how CO2 is formed again.

The air we breathe in contains very little CO2, about 0.04%. This air contains three parts of nitrogen, one part of oxygen, a small amount of argon, and like stated earlier a very small amount of CO2. However, the air we exhale consist of about 4% now, which is 100 times more CO2 than we inhaled.

Why is CO2 bad for the environment?

Now you know what CO2 is. CO2 doesn't seem harmful to the environment, if you look at the mentioned facts. So why is it a threat?

Like stated earlier, CO2 is a naturally occurring gas. It is one of the greenhouse gases that help keeping the planet at its normal temperature. The production of greenhouse gasses was regulated by the natural systems of the planet.

Lately, great levels of CO2 are emitted by human activity, which is called anthropogenic CO2. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s, we added more and more (anthropogenic) CO2 into the atmosphere:

The CO2 levels before the Industrial Revolution were about 270 parts per million (ppm).

The CO2 levels in 1960 were about 300 parts per million (ppm).

The CO2 levels in 2015 were about 400 parts per million (ppm).

Some examples of anthropogenic CO2 are:

Plowing the land. Carbon in the soil combines with the oxygen in the air.

Heating limestone. Carbon in the limestone combines with the oxygen in the air.

Burning fossil fuels. Carbon in the fuel combines with the oxygen in the air.

Cradle to Cradle®

Vita Talalay is an environmentally conscious company. We care about a healthy and green future for our planet. We also want to provide the healthiest products to the people, which is why our Natural Vita Talalay product is certified as Cradle to Cradle™ Gold.

The Cradle to Cradle principle is based on five quality categories: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social responsibility. Each category will receive an achievement level, differentiating between Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The overall grade of the product will be determined by the lowest achievement level.

Material health

Standards for the Gold certification:

Banned list chemical are not present above the limit.
Materials defined as biological or technical nutrient.
100% characterized and analysed, everything is safe.
Strategy developed to optimize all remaining X-assessed chemicals.
Assessed materials do not contain any carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reproductively toxic chemicals.
100% assessed by weight.
Formulation optimized.
Meets Cradle to Cradle emission standards.

Additional standards for the Platinum certification:

All process chemicals assessed and no X-assessed chemicals present.

Material reutilization

Standards for the Gold certification:

Defined the appropriate cycle for the product and developing a plan for product recovery and reutilization.
Designed or manufactured for the technical or biological cycle and has a material reutilization score of 65 or higher.
Well-defined nutrient management strategy for developing the logistics and recovery systems for this class of product or material.

Additional standards for the Platinum certification:

Designed or manufactured for the technical or biological cycle and has a material reutilization score of 100.
The product is actively being recovered and cycled in a technical or biological metabolism.

Renewable energy and carbon management

Standards for the Gold certification:

Purchased electricity and direct on-site emissions associated with the final manufacturing stage of the product are quantified.
A renewable energy use and carbon management strategy is developed.
For the final manufacturing stage of the product, 50% of purchased electricity is renewable sourced or offset with renewable energy projects, and 50% of direct on-site emissions are offset.

Additional standards for the Platinum certification:

For the final manufacturing stage of the product, 100% of purchased electricity is renewably sourced or offset with renewable energy projects, and 100% of direct on-site emissions are offset.
The embodied energy associated with the product from Cradle to Gate is characterised and quantified, and a strategy to optimise is developed.
5% or more of the embodied energy associated with the product from Cradle to Gate is covered by offsets or otherwise addressed.

Water stewardship

Standards for the Gold certification:

The manufacturer has not received a violation of their permit within the last two years.
Local- and business-specific water-related issues are characterised.
A statement of water stewardship intentions describing what action is being taken for mitigating identified problems and concerns is provided.
A facility-wide water check is completed.
Supply chain-relevant water issues for at least 20% of Tier 1 suppliers are characterised and a positive impact strategy is developed.
Product-related process chemicals in effluent are optimised.
Demonstrated process against the strategy developed for the previous 2 requirements.

Additional standards for the Platinum certification:

All water leaving the manufacturing facility meets drinking water standards.

Social fairness

Standards for the Gold certification:

A self-check is conducted to assess the protection of fundamental human rights.
Management procedures aiming to address any identified issues have been provided.
A full social reasonability self-check is complete and a positive impact strategy is developed.
2 of the following:

Material specific and/or issue-related check or certification relevant to a minimum of 25% of the product material by weight is complete.

And / Or

Supply chain-relevant social issues are fully investigated and a positive strategy is developed.

And / Or

The company is actively conducting an innovative social project that positively impacts employee’s lives, the local community, global community, or social aspects of the product’s supply chain or recycling/reuse.

Additional standards for the Platinum certification:

The remaining of the previous requirement.
A facility-level check is completed by a third party against an internationally recognised social responsibility program.

CO2OL

Vita Talalay supports CO2OL. This company is located in Bonn, Germany, and has strived to improve degraded areas through an economic, social, and ecologic way. It has afforestation and reforestation projects in countries like Panama, Ethiopia, Republic of Congo, and Bolivia. All these projects have the same goal: improve biodiversity and social living conditions, and reduce carbon emissions through the creation of new forests.

Read this article if you want to know more about CO2OL.

Vita Talalay's eco friendly mattresses and pillows

We at Vita Talalay provide eco friendly mattresses and pillows. Like stated earlier, our Natural Vita Talalay is certified as Cradle to Cradle™ Gold. This means that we have reached a certain level of standards. We also support the forest planting company CO2OL, because we want to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.

Everyone should replace their mattress every 10 years, which means that if you will live 80 years, you should have bought 8 mattresses. A non-Vita Talalay mattress is in general not eco-friendly, which means that the production of such mattress is bad for the environment.

A natural latex mattress or a natural latex pillow from Vita Talalay on the other hand, is not harmful for the environment in any way. It is produced in a way that the production gives back more to the environment than we take!

By purchasing a Vita Talalay natural mattress, you don't only have a very high quality and comfortable mattress, you also help the environment by purchasing a green mattress.

How can I help saving the environment?

Here are other ways YOU can help saving the environment.

Reducing your car usage

This is not only a great way to save the environment by reducing the amount of dangerous greenhouse gases that you release into the environment, it is also great for saving money or getting fit. You can replace your car by:

Walking to the place of interest. Walking is the most eco-friendly choice you have and it’s also the healthiest option. Using the car to get somewhere that is only 10 minutes walking distance is nothing more than damaging the environment;

Cycling to the place of interest. Cycling is another eco-friendly choice and is also very healthy. If your school or work is not so far from your house, you could consider going there by bike every day; and by

Using public transportation to the place of interest. Public transportation is more eco-friendly than cars. This is mainly because public transportation carries many people, while cars carry very few people, many times only 1.

Reducing your food waste

Around 1 billion people can be fed by all the food waste that is produced globally, each year. Instead of feeding all these hungry people, all the food ends up in landfills and turns into the dangerous methane gas. You can help saving the environment by wasting less food through:

Planning your meals ahead of time. This way you will know what to buy and in what quantities. You will also do your weekly groceries in one trip to the supermarket;

Donating your food to food kitchens. Not only will you prevent your food from going to a landfill, you will also help a family in need;

Eating your leftovers the next day. You don’t necessarily have to eat it for dinner the next day, you could also pack it as your lunch. Try to always eat the leftovers. You could even change your leftovers into a new dish, if you really don’t enjoy eating them again; and by

Taking your leftovers from your restaurant meal home. This doesn’t only save your leftovers from being thrown away, this also means you have some food for the next day.

Reducing your packaging waste

Food packaging makes up to two thirds of all packaging waste in the United States. Most of that trash ends up in landfills. However, more companies are becoming aware of this big problem and are trying to reduce it. You can help saving the environment even more in the process by:

Bringing your own mugs and cups. Instead of constantly using new disposable cups for your coffee or tea, you could bring your own mug with you. If you drink three cups of coffee a day, you would reduce your cup waste by around 1,000 cups a year;

Bulking up on long lasting foods. Some foods are available in the bulk bins in your supermarket. Buying from the bulk tins means that you will eliminate package waste for those products. Products that aren’t found in bulk bins might still be found in very big packages, which is better than multiple small packages.