Seals of quality

Seals of quality

Seals of quality

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Seals of quality
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DAUNASAN / DOWNAFRESH DAUNASAN / DOWNAFRESH
KIS KIS
NOMITE NOMITE
OEKOTEX OEKOTEX
TRAUMPASS TRAUMPASS
DAUNASAN / DOWNAFRESH

What means Downafresh greenLine?

Only bedding products containing down and feather fillings may be labelled with the Downafresh greenLine brand. Down and feathers are a pure natural material deriving from a sustainable production process. The trademark variation Downafresh greenLine signifies that the fillings of bedding products labelled with this trademark have been processed according to ecological criteria.

What does that mean?

Only bedding products containing down and feather fillings may be labelled with the Downafresh greenLine brand. Down and feathers are a pure natural material deriving from a sustainable production process. The trademark variation Downafresh greenLine signifies that the fillings of bedding products labelled with this trademark have been processed according to ecological criteria.

What does that mean?
Down and feathers are a product of nature. Due to their natural properties they have an outstanding heat insulating effect and are perfectly suitable as filling material for bedding products. They keep the sleeping person warm with very little weight. Down and feathers are not produced industrially, but are a pure natural material. They do not contain any harmful substances by nature and can easily be recycled. For bedding products labelled with Downafresh greenLine only fillings are employed which have been thoroughly washed with water and dried at temperatures of at least 100° C in order to meet the hygienic requirements defined in the European standard EN 12935.

During the processing of such feathers and down, only environmentally compatible detergent agents are used preserving the natural properties of the filling material. The users of Downafresh greenLine are obliged to have their products regularly tested at an independent testing laboratory to check whether the requirements for hygiene, cleanliness and environmental friendliness have been met.
 

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.
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NOMITE Hausstaubmilbenallergie

What does NOMITE stand for?

 
Bedding articles which carry the NOMITE label are suitable for house-dust-mite allergy sufferers.
 
Scientific research on bedding articles filled with down and feathers shows that the down- and feather-fillings were virtually mite-free.
In 1992, Prof. Dr. Dr.
 
Bedding articles which carry the NOMITE label are suitable for house-dust-mite allergy sufferers.
 
Scientific research on bedding articles filled with down and feathers shows that the down- and feather-fillings were virtually mite-free.
In 1992, Prof. Dr. Dr. Hans Jürgens, director of the Institute for Industrial Anthropology at the Kiel University, carried out a survey which included 700 field tests. He researched to which degree down- and feather-filled bedding articles were infested with house-dust-mites.
Jürgens found out the following:
He could not detect any mite populations at all in new pillows and duvets; the used bedding articles he included in the tests displayed a very low infestation rate.
Out of the 192 samples collected from used pillows, the testing on 78 % resulted completely negative regarding the mite allergen concentration. The remaining 22 % of test specimens displayed mite concentrations so low that they qualified to be harmless to health from an allergological point of view (less than 10 mites per 0.1 g of dust).
 
 
Even the additional testing carried out on a selection of 41 particularly soiled bedding articles, which had not been cleaned for at least 15 years – and in many cases even for a much longer time – confirmed these results. Although some of the samples were mite-infested, their allergen contents proved to be harmless to health, as well.

Another test revealed that the tightly woven ticking fabric which encases the down- and feather-filled pillows and duvets further reduces the mites’ already low tendency to migrate and settle in new habitats. From the same test it emerged that the ticking fabric provides an additional barrier against the mite infestation of bedding articles.
 
H. W. Jürgens, Ökologische Untersuchungen zu Hausstaubmilben (1992), Der Kinderarzt 23, 1884-1889
 
 
These testing results can be attributed to two fundamental reasons:
  • The down-proof tickings which cover a pillow or a duvet act as a proper “barrier” to mites. The shells are very tightly woven in order to prevent down and feathers from leaking out. Neither house-dust-mites or nor human skin scales, on which the mites feed, can pass through the ticking fabric.
     
  • In addition, the thermal and climatic conditions in down- and feather-filled pillows and duvets are highly unfavourable to mites, which depend on humidity to survive. The quick creation of warmth in one’s sleep and the quick reduction of humidity when the bedding is aired make for an environment which is detrimental to mites..
The temperatures in down- and feather-filled duvets rise very fast above the value where mites thrive. When you tuck yourself in, it gets too hot for the mites. In the following stage the humidity which was absorbed by the duvet will quickly be released, due to the favourable climate dynamics of the filling. As a result the humidity level drops swiftly below the critical value where mites comfortably survive: it gets too dry for the mites.


H. W. Jürgens, Ökologische Untersuchungen zu Hausstaubmilben (1992), Der Kinderarzt 23, 1884-1889
www.nomite.de/juerg_de.htm

The German magazine ÖKO-TEST states on the topic: “Mites do not like these variations in temperature. They prefer constant temperatures, such as the ones you would find in synthetic bedding articles. The precondition for this, however, is that the down and feathers are properly treated. They are therefore washed with a sort of curd soap, then spun and dried at a temperature over 100 oC (212 oF) before they are filled into the shells.“

The results of this study have in the meantime been confirmed by further surveys. By now the Medical Association of German Allergologists (Ärzteverband Deutscher Allergologen e. V., ÄDA) recommends the following: “Contrary to what has so far been recommended, synthetic bedding is not favourable, it is preferable to use natural materials, such as down and feathers.“ With this statement the Medical Association refers to the guideline on Allergy prevention by the German Allergy Prevention Action Alliance (Aktionsbündnis Allergieprävention) issued in 2004.
Borowski, C., Schäfer, T., Allergieprävention. Evidenzbasierte und konsentierte Leitlinie. München 2005

Further information on the Internet:

 

 
Further information at DownCheck :
Do house-dust-mite allergy patients have to replace their down- and feather-filled quilts and pillows by those with different filling materials? Why do we need so many different labels and brands? That it just confusing!
Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.
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DAUNASAN / DOWNAFRESH

What does "Daunasan / Downafresh" stand for?

 
Daunasan® / Downafresh® are brands owned by the Association of the European Bedfeather and Bedding Industries. The trademark refers to the filling material of duvets and pillows both to the filling of finished articles and processed feathers and down which have not yet been filled into shells.
 
Daunasan® / Downafresh® are brands owned by the Association of the European Bedfeather and Bedding Industries. The trademark refers to the filling material of duvets and pillows both to the filling of finished articles and processed feathers and down which have not yet been filled into shells. Daunasan® / Downafresh® document that the hygiene and cleanliness requirements are met in accordance with the European standard EN 12935.
 
Companies using the trademark have the down and feathers processed at their plant tested by a hygiene laboratory and are liable to document the processing of the filling material.
 

Circa an hour long, the down and feathers undergo 6 to 8 washing cycles. Subsequently they are dried at temperatures exceeding 100 °C so that also the pathogens of the so-called bird flu are surely killed.

Further information at :

 
Further information at DownCheck :
Can down and feathers transmit avian influenza? Why do we need so many different labels and brands? That it just confusing! How are down and feathers processed into bedding articles?
Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.
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TRAUMPASS

What does the TRAUMPASS label certify?

 
 
Traumpass
  
Traumpass is a quality seal used for bedding, sleeping bags and clothing that are filled with down and feathers. Products marked with this seal must be filled with down and feathers from the two highest classes l and ll in accordance with EN 12934.
 
 
Traumpass
  
Traumpass is a quality seal used for bedding, sleeping bags and clothing that are filled with down and feathers. Products marked with this seal must be filled with down and feathers from the two highest classes l and ll in accordance with EN 12934. In addition, all raw materials used in Traumpass products are by-products from meat production and thus sourced exclusively from slaughtered animals. Companies who use the seal on their products have agreed to adhere to this specification.
 

Monitoring manufacturer information on filling composition is carried out anonymously by an accredited testing institute on products bought from retailers.

The label “Traumpass DIN tested”, which is sewn into every product, contains an individual lot specific testing number that enables the manufacturing company to be identified. The origin of the down and feathers used for filling can be traced back via documents such as delivery notes, invoices, tax and import certificates, ending at the slaughterhouse from which the raw materials are sourced. This guarantees that products with the Traumpass seal do not contain material from living animals. Checks to ensure that the user of the seal follows these guidelines are carried out via regular audits of the companies by the certification organisation DINCERTCO, Berlin.

 
The certificate “Traumpass DIN tested” is only awarded by DINCERTCO, Berlin, if there is proof that the product quality and traceability conditions have been met. Only then may the label “Traumpass DIN tested” be used. Information about the certification programme can be accessed online at: http://www.dincertco.de/de/traumpass_daunen_und_federbetten.html.
 
If a bed-feather producer violates the strict standards, he will have to face measures such as a cease-and-desist letter, fines or the TRAUMPASS licence would – at worst – be withdrawn.

 

 

Further information at:

 
Further information at DownCheck :
What are the indications reported on the label according to the new standard? Why do we need so many different labels and brands? That it just confusing!
Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.
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Hüllen Hausstaubmilbenallergie NOMITE

Do producers use chemicals in NOMITE bedding to avoid the entering of dust mites?

No. Bedding labeled with the NOMITE label has a special, tightly woven but still breathable ticking, in which down and feathers are filled. This exceptional fabric for pillows and blankets form a mechanical and thus natural barrier for house dust mites. Only these pillows and duvets are allowed to be labeled with the “NOMITE” label.
 
No. Bedding labeled with the NOMITE label has a special, tightly woven but still breathable ticking, in which down and feathers are filled. This exceptional fabric for pillows and blankets form a mechanical and thus natural barrier for house dust mites. Only these pillows and duvets are allowed to be labeled with the “NOMITE” label.
 
Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.
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