NATURAL slumber
When it comes to the perfect, eco-friendly night’s sleep, innovative mattresses are leading the way
As the design industry turns its collective head towards sustainable values and ethical purchases, brands across the board are embracing natural substances as a replacement for the man-made. Methods that turn wools, timbers, stone and plants into functional objects are being pulled forward into the 21st century, combining handcrafted tradition with technological advancement. In the sleep world, the one significant progression is in mattress production. While modern materials such as memory foam dominate in some areas of the market, others are turning back to farms and fields, and Harrison Spinks, supplier to John Lewis & Partners, is leading the pack.
Its headquarters on the outskirts of Leeds consists of five factories, a working farm and forest all within a 30-mile radius. Sheep, goats and alpacas are kept on 300 acres of farmland, contribute their coats to the brand’s mattresses, each with intuitive properties that we might now deem ‘high-tech’. As well as being naturally springy and soft, sheep’s wool is antibacterial and fire retardant, alpaca wool is warmer and hypoallergenic, while mohair produced by Angora goats is luxuriously fine. All three are fast drying and ‘moisture wicking’, keeping the sleeper at the optimum temperature.
But the brand’s key component is hemp. Its reputation has suffered due to it deriving from the same plant as marijuana – the only difference is that hemp lacks THC, the part that causes psychoactive effects. A miracle material, hemp is one of the fastestgrowing plants on the planet, absorbing emissions as it grows (one ton of hemp eliminates 1.63 tons of carbon), and is highly economical – one acre will make the same amount of paper as four acres of trees. It was cultivated for textiles as early as 8,000 BC and its fibres (which are six times stronger than cotton) are said to have over 25,000 uses. Historically, it was used to make paper, canvas, clothes, shoes and rope, and recent advancements have led to hemp-based bioplastics, fuels, building materials and CBD oil.
‘Hemp reduces our CO2 production by 83 per cent,’ John Horsfield, the firm’s hemp-processing supervisor, tells us. ‘It’s also naturally antibacterial, breathable and it helps to regulate the body’s temperature.’ The brand, which this year won The Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development, grows 95 acres of the crop.
For the new ‘Natural Collection’ for John Lewis & Partners, hemp is layered into each mattress and combined with specialist pocket springs, wool, linen, silk and cotton to give an almost bespoke level of support across nine models. Production is chemical free, relying on nature, age-old methods and the expertise of skilled craftspeople. From £650 for a double. johnlewis.com; harrisonspinks.co.uk
‘HEMP REDUCES OUR CO2 PRODUCTION BY
83 PER CENT – IT’S ALSO ANTIBACTERIAL, BREATHABLE AND HELPS MANAGE TEMPERATURE’