Debating between an Avocado Green Mattress and a Birch® Mattress?
Birch® is a quality mattress, made in the U.S. by a respectable brand, Helix Sleep®. Even so, there are significant differences between Birch and Avocado. Simply put, Birch® uses less latex, fewer springs, and fewer zones; has fewer certifications for transparency, social responsibility, and sustainability; uses Rayon mixed with wool for flame retardancy; and does not make or farm any of their own products or natural materials.
Avocado offers 3 inches of GOTS organic certified Dunlop latex, which we farm and process ourselves. In our pillow-top model, Avocado offers 5 inches. In contrast, Birch® uses only 2 inches of "natural" Talalay latex, which is not GOLS organic certified. This is important. The Birch mattress may be GOTS certified, but it does not use organic latex — Avocado does.
Avocado is a needle-tufted mattress. We use a traditional handwork process in which long steel needles are pulled through a mattresses (in up to 32 spots) in order to hold the mattress together without using glue. It's a hallmark of a quality mattress. Birch® does not needle-tuft their mattresses. Instead, they use adhesives to glue their layers together. Adhesives are major contributors of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which pollute indoor air quality. In contrast, an Avocado Green Mattress is Greenguard Gold certified and verified as Formaldehyde Free by UL Environment®.
Avocado uses organic certified wool (from our own farms) to naturally inhibit flammability and meet all safety standards. Birch also uses natural wool, but mixes it with rayon in the batting and flame retardant layers. Rayon is a natural material that is heavily treated with chemicals in the production process. (Read more about the impact of Rayon here.) As a result of this and other factors, the Birch mattress is not MADE SAFE® certified — a rigorous scientific screening process that only allows the use of ingredients that are not known or suspected to harm human health, animals, aquatic life, or ecosystems.
Avocado uses one of the best innerspring units on the market, with 5 zones and up to 1,414 pocketed innersprings that float independently. In contrast, Birch uses fewer springs and has only 3 zones. The innerspring unit is a major component cost. Fewer innersprings and zones mean less full body support and durability.
Avocado is the most sustainable mattress brand in the industry, supporting 100% renewable energy use, with full organic certifications in our brand name. We are also a carbon negative business and the highest scoring Certified B Corporation in the mattress industry. Our mattresses are also all MADE SAFE certified.
Avocado makes our mattresses in our GOTS and FSC® certified (C156318) facility in Los Angeles. We also farm and produce our own organic certified latex and wool in India. Like many online mattress brands, Birch® does not make their own products or produce their own components or materials.
Compare Avocado vs. Birch® Mattress:
Birch® Mattress | ||
Ratings & Trust | ||
Consumer Reports® | #1 Highest Rated Mattress: 2018-2021 | CR® Rating |
Awards | ||
Sleep Trial | 1 Year | 100 Nights |
Warranty | 25 Years | 25 Years |
Firmness rating per Consumer Reports® | Standard mattress 7; | 3 |
Construction | ||
Latex for comfort & support | 100% GOLS organic certified Dunlop | Talalay latex. (Talalay latex cannot be certified organic to USDA or GOLS standards.) |
Latex volume | 3 inches (standard), 5 inches (pillow-top), 1 inch of which is in the base. | 2 inches |
Pocketed innerspring for pressure relief & contouring | 1,440 (King), 8-inch coils, in 3 wire gauges + 2 coil sizes | 1,280 (King), 8-inch coils |
Motion Transfer | Best (Lowest motion transfer) | Good |
Zoned Innerspring Support | 5 zones in the pocketed innersprings (head firm edge, footer firm edge, left firm rail, right firm rail, upper main body, middle, lower main body) | ❌ No interior zones, only perimeter reinforcement. |
Reinforced edge support on all sides | ✅ | ✅ |
Construction method | Needle-tufted by hand | Adhesives |
No Flame Retardant | None. (We use 100% GOTS organic certified wool.) | ❌ Natural wool and Rayon blend. |
Grip handles | 4 Reinforced | ❌ None |
Organic Certifications |
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GOTS Organic Certified Mattress (full product) | ✅ No organic latex? | |
100% GOLS Organic Certified Latex | ❌ No. Birch uses FSC certified latex, not GOLS organic certified latex. Forest management and organic are not equal. | |
100% GOTS Organic Certified Wool | (Natural wool and Rayon blend.) | |
100% GOTS Organic: Certified Cotton | ✅ | |
Non-Toxic Certifications |
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Greenguard Gold (Whole Mattress) | ✅ | |
Formaldehyde-Free Claim Verified by UL Environment® | ❌ | |
MADE-SAFE® Certified | ❌ | |
Responsible Forestry |
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FSC® Certified (Latex, Wood and Factory) | ❌ | |
Social Responsibility |
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B Corporation Certified | ✅ Certification | |
1% For the Planet® Verified Giving Program | ❌ | |
Vegan Certified Option | ✅ Certification | ❌ |
Landfill Waste Diversion | ✅ Avocado became the first mattress and bedding company to have its Landfill Waste Diversion rated and validated by UL. In 2021, Avocado’s goal is to achieve its Zero Waste certification. | ❌ |
Climate Change Mitigation |
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Climate Neutral Certified® | ✅ Certification | ❌ |
Made with 100% renewable energy | ❌ | |
Ownership & Trust |
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Mattress Trial | 365 days | 100 days |
Customer mattress reviews | 14,000+ (as of 1/21) | 1,000+ (as of 1/21) |
Does Not Owns Mattress Review Website(s) | ✅ For ethical reasons, we do not. (Many brands do.) | ❌ |
Makes their mattresses | ✅ Our factory in Los Angeles. | ❌ Subcontracts |
Makes own organic latex | ✅ From our farms. | ❌ Subcontracts |
Harvest own organic wool | ✅ From our farms. | ❌ Subcontracts |
Still have questions? Schedule a free, 30-minute personal consultation via Zoom with our world class customer experience team today.
Still have questions?
Schedule a free, 30-minute personal consultation via Zoom with our world class customer experience team today.
