Sustainability

As a matter of principle, all our products are made from renewable raw materials. These include wood, natural rubber, coir, linen, sweet corn and cotton. The solid wood of our bedsteads is only treated with wax or oil. The animal products we use include virgin wool, alpaca wool and camel hair – and animal-friendly farming methods are a major concern for us. The sheep and alpacas have never seen pens except in their bad dreams, and the camel hair is only garnered at a time when the animals are in any case changing their coats.

As far as possible, we avoid the use of metals and plastics. We only choose compromise solutions in cases where the alternative would result in an impairment of quality – for example, with metal tabs on zips, and some plastic connecting pieces on bed frames.

“Top quality”, as far as we are concerned, means natural and untreated quality. So, we consistently avoid the use of softeners and chemical additives. This results in positive effects not just for the environment but for human beings as well. Untreated solid wood has moisture-regulating properties, and so ensures a pleasant room climate. Natural rubber is bacteriostatic and prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi.

Anyone who believes in natural and renewable raw materials must be one hundred percent convinced, both in thinking and in practice – and must also opt for production methods that favour sustainability. In all areas of production, we endeavour to minimise the impact on the environment. This applies both to background factors – like the location, the power supply and recycling – and to the manufacturing process itself, comprising the ways in which materials are obtained and processed. Our natural latex is a good example of a material obtained in a sustainable way. This renewable raw material is harvested by hand from the rubber tree, using the most environmentally friendly methods. Based on the production of natural latex and the transport operations involved, the energy consumption and CO² emissions are many times lower than those resulting from the chemical production of synthetic latex or foam materials.

Hüsler Nest also devotes serious consideration to the background factors. We make it a priority, wherever possible, to carry on production in Switzerland or in neighbouring foreign countries, where progressive environmental standards apply, and high social standards are observed. So, we keep transport routes as short as possible, with a view to reducing CO² emissions. At our new production site in Grenchen, in the canton of Solothurn, we endeavour to use as much alternative energy as possible, with the help of a recently expanded solar installation backed up by electromobility. The façade has also been renovated in Swiss solid wood. When it comes to recycling, we sort valuable materials like glass, paper, and plastics with care. Timber residue is used to generate heat in the form of wood pellets. Our packaging practices are also based on sustainability. Currently we are focusing on the mattresses. In future they will be delivered to the customer without a plastic wrapping.

Leaving the materials and production methods aside, it goes without saying that the product itself is also sustainably designed, with a view to creating a long-lasting, natural, and healthy basis for sleep. So Hüsler Nest has a thoroughly thought-out philosophy of hygienic sustainability, including a high degree of breathability and ventilation and optimal moisture control. Non-washable components are naturally self-cleansing, like virgin wool for example. Our eponymous “nest”, in its “Original” design, consists of four separate components: insert frame, spring element, natural latex mattress and topper. This structure represents concentration on the essential and offers a number of advantages. For example, all the components, even the trimelles slats of the spring element, can be used in isolation. It is also very easy to upgrade from the “Original” to the “DeLuxe” version, if you want to adapt your system to a new bed or changed requirements. Here the same principle applies – if after 5 to 7 years your woollen mattress topper is past its best, you can replace it just as easily as with the Original. And by the same token you can also choose a different topper. The other components, including the mattress, remain unchanged. It’s simple and it’s cheap and ensures a long service life for the Hüsler Nest.

Ideas and strategies for improving environmental friendliness form part of our holistic policy, on which we continue to build. We strive to design our products from the outset in a way that conserves resources. So far as possible, all materials are used sustainably in natural or technological resource cycles. Apart from aiming to preserve human health, the policy likewise entails an emphasis on socially just working conditions.

Rubber milk is the CO²-neutral raw material from which we produce high-quality natural latex mattresses with the help of our suppliers. Our latex partner is also CO²-neutral in what concerns production and distribution and is certified accordingly. The product, your Hüsler Nest latex mattress, is a natural product that can be disposed of at your local recycling centre without harming the environment, though at present no satisfactory recycling products can be made from the used latex.

Hüsler Nest is perfectly equipped to put the closed substance cycle idea into practice. Renewable raw materials, environmentally friendly materials that are harmless to health and a long product life have been characteristic of our company for 40 years. If you want to work with nature, you need experience. Sometimes it takes a bit of time, but above all it calls for passion. We see this challenge as an enrichment of our lives and know that it is worth it – because nature is inexhaustibly generous.

Your health is something we care about. In a Hüsler Nest, you sleep correctly and ergonomically, surrounded by natural and unadulterated materials. Since our founding, we have paid attention to the environment and to sustainability when purchasing raw materials. That is why today we are considered pioneers of the natural bed.