Originally known for its sustainable Merino Wool sneakers, Allbirds has added new styles that uses fibers from eucalyptus trees.
Hana Kajimura, Sustainability Manager at Allbirds tells Insider Picks, "The TENCEL in our Tree collection creates a cooling effect by wicking away moisture through a silky-smooth mesh construction, while delivering unmatched breathability and supreme comfort. The FSC-certified material also requires only 5% of the water and half the carbon impact compared to traditional footwear materials. It was a no brainer for Allbirds."
Insider Picks has tested shoes from the Allbirds Tree line including the Runners, Skippers, Loungers, Toppers, and Breezers, and it's safe to say that they uphold the same level of comfort and style that the original wool models have.
Connie Chen of Insider Picks regularly wears her wool Runners, but opted to try the Skippers and said, "Eucalyptus is known for its cooling properties, so I appreciate that the Skippers [keep] my feet cool in warm weather." While Ellen Hoffman of Insider Picks added, "We've affectionately dubbed the Tree Breezers 'machine-washable pillow gloves for feet' in our team's Slack channel because they're just that comfortable."
Allbirds plans to continue down the path of high quality and high sustainability, with Kajimura teasing, "There are definitely more implementations in the pipeline."
Popular products: The Tree Runner in both men and women and the Tree Breezers
We've covered a lot of weight blankets here, but most require some sort of fill for that anxiety-reducing weight. That fill, however, can trap heat and make you uncomfortably hot as you sleep.
Bearaby is different.
Kathrin Hamm, founder and CEO of Bearaby told Insider Picks, "Bearaby's Napper is weighted simply by layering weaves of fabric together, making us the only sustainable weighted bedding brand on the market. Through our design and sustainable fabric, we were able to address a major gap of traditional weighted blankets — which is trapping heat — and can make people sleep too hot."
Bearaby only makes four products, but they're all well-made and include TENCEL materials.
"Sustainability has been a priority for Bearaby since day one, so choosing a sustainable fabric company was a priority when we began sourcing," said Hamm. "We believe at Bearaby that sustainability ultimately creates better products, along with being the right thing to do. TENCEL defines a new origin of sustainability."
We tested the Tree Napper ahead of its release to compare its feel and weight to that of the original Napper. and found that it did alleviate some of our tossing and turning as well as the original, but that the breathable eucalyptus was much more comfortable.
Popular products: The Tree Napper, The Sleeper, and The Napper
Coop Home Goods, known for its best selling memory foam pillow, incorporates a blend of bamboo-derived viscose and polyester in many of its products.
Kevin Chon, co-founder of Coop Home Goods tells Insider Picks, "We wanted that worn-in, favorite T-shirt type of feeling. The polyester ensures durability and strength without affecting the ultra-soft feel of the bamboo-derived rayon. We also wanted a loose knit to promote airflow as temperature regulation is really important for sustained sleep."
In addition, the solvents used in the manufacturing process are reused with a recovery rate of up to 90%. This not only helps keep the majority of unnatural materials from entering our environment, but it helps companies like Coop Home Goods produce quality products faster.
I've personally been sleeping on the Original Pillow and can attest to the breathability of the bamboo fabric.
Chon also tells us that the brand has new eco-friendly products coming out within the year.
Popular products: The Original pillow, The Body Pillow, Ultra Luxe Waterproof Mattress Protector, and the Pillowcase
The famous Layla Pillow is stuffed with fill made from seed pods of tropical Kapok trees native to Central America, South America, and other warm climates.
Akrum Sheikh, CEO of Layla, tells Insider Picks that it chose Kapok fill because "it shares similar properties to cotton but requires fewer resources like water to grow and harvest. It's also very durable and gives users a goose down feel without harming actual birds."
I slept soundly on my Layla Pillow because it's firm and supportive, and still offers a plush feel. I've slept too many nights on a flat pancake pillow, but the Layla Pillow retained its plumpness throughout the night and perked right back up as soon as my head (unfortunately) left the pillow.
Layla found much success with its pillow that it recently launched Bamboo Sheets. Sheikh said, "Bamboo is a very sustainable plant that needs minimal resources to grow. It's made for great fabrics due to its antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, and cooling properties."
Like the other brands, Sheikh says, "Layla definitely will be exploring many soft goods products for future development that incorporate other tree-derived materials like bamboo."
Popular products: The Layla Pillow and Layla Bamboo Sheets
Patagonia uses TENCEL and other sustainable fabrics in many of its clothes, but one of the more unique fabrics is tree-derived rubber — Yulex® natural rubber.
Matt Dwyer, Director of Material Innovation at Patagonia, says, "We use Yulex natural rubber in our wetsuits which comes from sources that are Forest Stewardship Council-certified by the Rainforest Alliance."
As far as processing the rubber, he explains, "Raw latex is tapped from hevea trees, then refined by our partners at Yulex in a proprietary process that removes more than 99% of impurities — including the proteins that cause latex allergies — and results in a stronger, non-sensitizing natural elastomer. We were excited to find a renewable material that performed as well, or better, than traditional neoprene."
Owen Burke of Insider Picks, who's worn plenty of Yulex wetsuits from Patagonia over the years, says, "I haven't seen so much as a stitch pop." As far as flexibility of the natural rubber is concerned, Burke explained that Yulex is a bit stiffer, but Patagonia has launched newer models that have left him feeling "as free as a bird," like the R4 Yulex wetsuit.
Popular products: Men's Essential Boxer, Women's Garden Island Pants, Men's R4 Lite Yulex Front-Zip Hooded Full Suit, Women's R1 Lite Yulex Spring Jane
Canadian apparel company tentree plants 10 trees for every product sold, so it's obvious that it takes careful consideration into the products it manufactures and the materials it uses.
Co-founder Derrick Emsley tells Insider Picks, "We currently use TENCEL in a number of products, and are in the process of preparing to launch a Tree Fleece which blends TENCEL into our current fleece fabric. It results in an even softer hand-feel while also giving the product a bit more stretch and elasticity."
Although tentree uses a number of sustainable fabrics, Emsley explained, "The reason we chose TENCEL over other tree-based fibers like modal, viscose, and rayon is because it's the most sustainable alternative. These materials all share a significant number of properties like softness and breathability, but the difference really comes down to the process and sustainability of each alternative."
But not all customers love TENCEL and not all products can maintain the highest possible quality using this fabric. That's why tentree also utilizes hemp, organic cotton, and recycled polyester.
Insider Picks has tested several of its apparel products, and reporter Amir Ismael says, "Our verdict is that the company has managed to create great gear alongside a great mission. Any brand that can manage to plant 10 trees for every product sold gets a thumbs up from me, but my appreciation for Tentree is deeper than its sustainability efforts. The products are actually good."
Popular Products: Women's Juniper Sweatshirt, Women's Harbour Tank, Women's Colwood Pants, The Golden Spruce
