At some point down the rabbit hole of sustainable living, you start asking all sorts of questions you’d never thought to ask before.
Like, is my pillow eco-friendly?
I’m pretty sure that my previous pillow – one I pulled out of my linen closet months ago after the last one went lumpy – is not only not eco-friendly, but probably not even healthy after years of being dragged around through moves and stored in musty closets. In fact, the pillow industry at large recommends replacing – or at least washing – your pillow every 6 months to avoid skin reactions like acne from dirt and oil and allergies from mites and dust. After 1 year of use, the weight of your pillow might be made up of 10-15% dust mite waste (which is super disgusting to think about). Working at a thrift shop, I deal with mild allergic reactions from dust and mold brought in with donated goods every day, so I really don’t want to exacerbate the problem at home.
All that being said, it was about time to consider a pillow that’s not just fluffy and new, but also made of materials that are less likely to cause an allergic response over time.
Enter Savvy Rest.
Savvy Rest is a Charlottesville-based sustainable, organic bedding company specializing in mattresses, toppers, and pillows (They also make a range of bed frames. Read Natalie from Sustainably Chic’s review here). I love that they’re a local business and I’ve learned a lot about sleep and comfort by reading through their product listings on their website. Plus, they’ve got an impressive array of certifications including B-Corp, Cradle to Cradle, Confidence in Textiles, and GreenGuard. And they’re employee owned! And they plant trees and donate pillows to local domestic violence shelters (the fact that they donate to domestic violence shelters make me tear up a little, because I’ve become friends with a couple of women through my work at the thrift shop who have fled abusive situations and entered those shelters. I’m glad this community has a web of resources and businesses helping them get back on their feet).
Making a comfortable, quality, ethical, and organic item isn’t easy, and it takes skill and money to make it happen. The organic Kapok pillow they provided for review is $109.00, which is more than I would normally think to pay for a pillow, but I believe Savvy Rest when they say that they place well-being over profits. It’s filled with cotton-like plant fiber from the Kapok tree (I don’t know why, but something about sleeping on tree fiber makes me really happy) and you can unzip the case to customize the firmness. The pillow itself is covered in an additional flannel cover for extra comfort and hygiene.
But what about comfort?
