When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more With sustainability an increasingly important consideration for shoppers, it’s no longer enough for the best sheets to simply be comfortable. More and more, customers want to invest in a product that reflects their values when it comes to safety and sustainability.
Enter: bedding startup Boll & Branch . We called Boll & Branch one of the best bedding startups , and in 2018 the company was named the world’s largest consumer of Organic Fair Trade Certified cotton by volume in the annual Textile Exchange Preferred Fibre and Materials Benchmark, ahead of giants like Patagonia and Nike. Boll & Branch only uses 100% organic cotton to make its sheets.
Its luxury sheets are soft-to-the-touch, look and feel high-end, and come from a chemical-free supply chain. Organic materials are a more environmentally friendly choice than traditional cotton in general. Organic materials minimize the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides, require far less water and water pollution, and their organic growing systems emphasize soil fertility and biologically diverse agriculture.
(Based on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) findings , organic cotton production saved 1,982 gallons of water on average globally from 2008-2013 when compared to chemically grown cotton when making an average-sized t-shirt). It also minimizes workers’ exposure to chemicals and pesticides, as well as to their local land. According to the World Wildlife Fund, approximately half of all textiles in the world are made of cotton , and cotton growing’s pollution and diversion of water have had severe impacts on major ecosystems already, so switching from traditional cotton to organic is an ecological priority.
But, despite its positive environmental and social impact, the choice is, for many companies, just as much about prioritizing overall comfort. According to the Textile Exchange, cotton quality comes down to staple (read: fiber) length, and “longer staples produce softer, smoother, stronger fabrics with higher luster. ” Because organic cotton is handpicked and not machine-picked, its fibers are said to be damaged less often, and thereby longer and softer.
It’s also hypoallergenic, so it may be preferred by those who have allergies or sensitive skin. Boll & Branch’s sheets are made from 300-thread-count long-staple organic cotton, and they’re both GOTS certified (the whole manufacturing process is considered organic) and Fair Trade certified, which means they meet standards for ethical wages and working conditions. We tested its best-selling Classic Hemmed Sheet Set and appreciated how soft the sheets were, as well as their 17-inch-deep pocket, color range (13 colors currently), and expansive size range (which includes things like a split king, or king with standard pillow cases).
However, we did think they were slightly less breathable than other options in our best sheets buying guide. Boll & Branch sheets are a great option if you’re looking to purchase an organic cotton set: “Luxurious in every sense of the word — soft to the touch, thoughtfully designed, and premium in looks” as Executive Editor Ellen Hoffman wrote in her 2017 review . And that’s why the company has experienced such rapid and continued success.
Boll & Branch customers have also been willing to spend $200 and up on sheet sets in part because they’re a luxury, like diamonds made in labs with solar energy, that they can feel better owning and know it didn’t include undue ecological and social damage in the price tag. But, if your primary concern is sustainability, there are alternatives that may reduce your footprint more drastically, like linen. If your bedding could use an organic cotton upgrade — and you can afford the premium — Boll & Branch may be a good bet.
To skip the browsing, we recommend heading straight to the company’s bestseller: the Classic Hemmed Sheet Set. .
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/guides/home/boll-and-branch-organic-cotton-bedding-review
