Fairtrade beds & mattresses
SCOOP: Lavital receives Fairtrade certification.
This makes Lavital the first international bedding brand in the world to carry the Fairtrade mark for its organic & Fairtrade cotton.
Dutch Parliament member Mariko Peters and executive director of the Max Havelaar Foundation Peter d'Angremond will present the certification to the board of Lavital on 29 January next.
The crowning glory of our pioneering work
'The Fairtrade Mark for our organic cotton really is the crowning glory of our work,' says Marjolein Vaders-Segers (owner-director). 'For sixteen years we've done pioneering and innovation work by using natural materials for our beds and mattresses. Earlier this year we introduced our collection of organic and Fairtrade cotton bed linen. Finding out new routes and gaining access to materials that are difficult to obtain has been an enormous challenge, but it's been instrumental to our success. Unlike many of our colleagues in the home furnishing sector, our business did not make a loss in the crisis year 2009.'
Dubious materials in beds
The global bed industry is a waste land without any concrete initiatives or genuinely durable innovations. It's an industry in which dubious materials are produced and used, which can cause damage to our health and the environment. Like plasticisers, flame retardants, and emanation of toxic gasses. Moreover, the waste management of over one million discarded mattresses is a pressing problem in the Netherlands. The use of natural materials in beds and mattresses is on the rise. Using purely organic, ecological and biodegradable materials, however, is unique. That is the unique selling point of Lavital compared to other bedding brands around the globe.
Cotton farmers
The Max Havelaar Fairtrade Mark focuses on poor cotton farmers in developing countries who badly need our support. By buying Max Havelaar Fairtrade certified cotton, consumers can be sure the cotton was bought according to fair terms of trade, at small farming businesses in developing countries. A fair price allows the farmers to take the future into their own hands. A fair price enables them to go ahead and get started on environmental and social change.
The Max Havelaar foundation is perhaps best known for its Fairtrade coffee, but there are many more products that carry the Fairtrade mark, including cotton, wine, beer, rice, sugar, fruit, biscuits, chocolate, ice cream, tea and honey. Fairtrade products are sold in 23 countries. Fairtrade is a global movement which turns existing trade into a katalyst for fighting poverty and durable development.
