Having just returned from the bi-annual World Market show in Las Vegas last week, I have to say that the organic and natural movement in the bedding industry has really exploded!  The show is the largest furniture and bedding show in the western United States and has a reputation for being especially strong in the sleep catagory, with the Specialty Sleep Association (of which many organic manufacturers are members) having their own special area as part of the show.

So, what's new and what's hot?  Here are some details:

First, Land and Sky has decided to change the firmnesses of their popular Rainforest and Heaven and Earth models effective imediately.  The mattresses are now somewhat firmer than they were before, which should go a long way toward increasing their longevity.  They also warned dealers of an impending price increase this fall, so if you've been considering one of these beds - which are priced very well for what you receive - then now may be the time to get one.  Another big news item from them is that you can now purchase the top 3 inch layer of the Heaven and Earth seperately as a mattress topper - certainly a plus that is long overdue.

Natural Bedroom (Vivetique) decided to not go high end this show, leaving the $10K mattress back in California and showing some of their new mult-layer latex models.  There was also significant crowing about 1-800-Mattress (which will now be selling through Amazon.com) picking up their entire line.  It remains to be seen if this will cause a major supply problem with their other established dealers as already there have been significant growing pains and rumblings about this long established organic manufacturer.  Time will tell on this one.

Green Sleep, well, is still Green Sleep.  When you have the best product, why change?  That is certainly their phylosophy, but the big stumbling block remains that a large chunk of their business is in the western US and when you manufacture and ship from Ottawa, Canada it just takes awhile to get the product.  Suite Sleep of Boulder, CO that is the western US distributor for Green Sleep recently had a major upgrade to their warehouse so they can have all 3 firmnesses available.  This should be an improvement.  No matter what, however, these incredible sleep systems are worth the wait.

OMI (Organic Mattresses Inc.), also known as Lifekind, did not show in the Specialty Sleep area and generally is the "stealth" organic bedding manufacture at this show.  I'm going to comment here, because this seems to be the appropriate moment, that there is a lot of "cloak and dagger" going on among the various organic manufacturers - and it's more on the dagger side for sure.  OMI seems to be the one that started it all and it's spreading like wildfire among the bigger manufacturers (save one).  While they like to recruit new dealers, the reality is that the Lifekind Internet and Catalog business will directly compete with anyone they sign up and it's only a matter of time before that dealer figures this out.  So, unless you plan on buying from them directly - sight unseen and no return policy - you're likely to not see these products showing up in a store near you, at least not for a very long period of time.

Natura is one that I had only looked at casually in the past, largely due to their rather lax organic standards.  True, not everything in their organic beds are, in fact, organic, but there were a couple of main things that drew me to their product line:  The incredibly laid back and confident way they run their company (as in no cloak and dagger) and the exceptional feel of their Peruvian cotton.  (Note here - Green Sleep also uses Peruvian cotton, although theirs is highly certified to be organic).  Natura is also the only manufacturer to offer any kind of organic adjustable sleep system that has no electric motors (the Organic IV).  For these reasons, Natura should definately be on the radar of anyone looking into organic and natural mattresses.  Natura is based outside of Toronto, Canada and has a well established manufacturing and distribution network in place, so you're not going to wait long for any of their products.  Oh, and don't pass up their comforters and pillows infused with Aloe!  Nothing is better for those cold, dry winter climates!  Also, their hand tied wool contour pillows are very unique!

Of course, there were a lot of new players in the organic game and, since Royal-Pedic does not show anywhere outside of their own Beverly Hills showroom, anything resembling a quality organic innerspring mattress was completely absent from this show.  It was all natural latex, practically everywhere you looked.

Even Englander, the only bedding major to offer an advertised organic mattress set, is getting into the game.  Now, Englander is owned by different franchisees in various parts of the country, so each manufacturer is different.  Currently, only the California franchise (surprise) is producing the Englander organic latex mattress.  Again, they're not going to be too interested in high organic standards, but the thought is there. 

So, that's what's new.  As things open up in the organic market, thanks to that lovely new fire regulation, more and more manufacturers are going to be heading into this territory.  Already supply lines are being squeezed for organic materials and that's just going to make things worse - which accounts for a lot of the cloak and dagger tactics going on.  Let's just hope this translates into more choices for consumers and not in higher prices due to scarcity of materials!