Unwind and sleep easy with one of these eco-friendly bed frames that you know was sourced consciously, both in respect to your own health and the health of our common home: Mother Earth.
What is an Eco-Friendly Bed Frame?
Just as with other eco-friendly furniture, the key elements to consider when it comes to bed frames are the material, finishes, and general production practices.
Materials
If you’re looking for a natural bed frame, you’ll want to go the solid wood route.
Most plywood, particleboard, or engineered wood is made with glue that contains formaldehyde. As a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) and probable carcinogen, formaldehyde is an environmental and health risk for yourself and the workers producing that product.
There are some plywood/engineered woods that do not contain formaldehyde, but if the product page doesn’t specifically state that the product is formaldehyde-free, then it probably does contain it. You can always inquire with the company if you’re unsure.
Another material to consider if you’re looking for non-toxic furniture is solid metal, due to its durability, easy maintenance, and recyclability. However, this option isn’t so eco-friendly if that metal was newly mined, so look for recycled metal if you want to go this route!
Sourcing
Of course, although wood is renewable, it’s not always sustainably sourced. Look at a company’s About or Sustainability pages to see what information they can provide about how the wood they use is harvested and where it is sourced from. Look for things like:
- Local sourcing. This minimizes the product’s carbon footprint and typically means that a company has more transparency into their supply chain.
- FSC-certified. While not perfect, the Forest Stewardship Council seal is the most widely used third-party verification for sustainably-sourced wood.
- Reclaimed wood. Finding a bed frame made from repurposed materials is a fantastic option if you can find it. Not only does using reclaimed wood reduce waste, but it minimizes the need to cut down additional trees.
Finishes
Most conventional finishes used on furniture contain VOCs, which can cause a myriad of short-term and long-term health impacts. Look for non-toxic bed frames with low-VOC or even better, zero-VOC finishes.
Other Production Practices:
- Renewable energy use. Does the company use wind or solar power for its operations? Do they purchase Renewable Energy Credits?
- Waste reduction. How does the company handle material waste such as leftover wood? Do they work to minimize water use and energy use?
- Donations. Does the company give back to an environmental organization through a group like 1% for the Planet? Do they plant more trees than the number of trees cut down to produce their products?
Where to Find Eco-Friendly and Natural Bed Frames
As always, shopping secondhand is a great way to source furniture sustainably and more affordably! Sites like Facebook Marketplace, local Buy Nothing groups, and Craigslist can be resources for finding cheap eco-friendly furniture — sometimes, you can even get a piece for free if you’re willing to take care of the pick-up!
For a more curated selection of secondhand bed frames, check out:
If vintage furniture is more your style, check outL
If you can’t find anything pre-loved, or you’d prefer to purchase a verified non-toxic bed frame, check out these brands below for sustainable bedroom furniture!
Note that this article contains affiliate links, meaning we’ll earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through one of these links, which helps us continue to run this site. As always, all brands meet rigorous criteria for sustainability and are brands we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
By the way, if you’re in need of some bedding as well, check out our guides to non-toxic mattresses, eco-friendly pillows, and organic bedding.
1. Savvy Rest
Savvy Rest has everything you need to sleep more restfully, from organic mattresses to non-toxic bedroom furniture. The brand’s timeless all-natural platform beds — The Afton is their flagship platform bed and The Esmont is a platform bed with a customizable headboard — are made in their own Virginia workshop. Each bed is crafted out of sustainably-sourced maple and poplar wood and is available unfinished or with a zero-VOC finish.
Conscious Qualities: Sustainably-Sourced Wood, Zero-VOC Finishes, Local Production
Price: Starts at $899 for Twin
*Use code CONSCIOUSSTYLE20 for 20% off all products on Savvy Rest!*
2. Avocado Mattress
Made in their own GOTS-certified Los Angeles factory, Avocado Mattress makes eco-friendly bed frames with high environmental, health, and social standards. Each bed frame is made out of reclaimed wood or solid FSC-certified timber and zero-VOC finishes. For the bed frames made from new wood, Avocado Mattress uses non-toxic Titebond wood glues. The Certified B-Corporation also pays living wages and offers benefits, including family healthcare, to their production factory team members.
Conscious Qualities: Reclaimed or FSC-Certified Wood, Zero-VOC Finishes, Local Production in a GOTS-Certified Factory, Greenguard-Certified (Gold), Carbon Neutral Certified
Price: Starts at $695 for Twin
3. Maiden Home
Maiden Home is a woman-founded luxury furniture company handcrafting all of their furniture made-to-order in North Carolina. As a direct-to-consumer brand, Maiden Home is able to offer the highest quality at a fraction of the price as it would be sold at furniture boutiques.
The furniture brand has high-quality beds made from solid hardwood sourced responsibly in line with the standards of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. And they offer a variety of fabric options for the upholstery, including several shades of linen.
All furniture is produced without flame retardants, formaldehyde, or other harmful chemicals. And the brand’s performance fabrics are free of PFOS and PFOA and include non-toxic, GREENGUARD Gold certified treatments for stain resistance.
Conscious Qualities: Made to Order, Locally Made, Woman-Founded, Responsibly Sourced Hardood, Lower Impact Fabric Choices
Price: Starts at $2,225 for Queen
4. Medley
Using only the highest quality non-toxic materials for their sustainable furniture, Medley has natural bed frames are made from domestically-sourced FSC-certified solid wood. Each wooden bed frame is made-to-order in Los Angeles using zero-VOC glue and zero-VOC all-natural furniture polish. (Note: Medley’s bamboo furniture uses low-VOC finishes.) If you prefer a padded bed frame, check out Medley’s Nein bed which has the option to use organic natural latex.
Conscious Qualities: Local In-House Production, FSC-Certified Wood, Natural Finishes, Made-to-Order
Price: Starts at $2,550 for Twin
5. Saatva
Saatva is a sustainable mattress company that has expanded into eco-friendly bed frames too. The company uses responsibly sourced hardwood that has been kiln-dried for maximum durability for the bed frame as well as plywood slats for additional support. (Note: I asked Saatva’s customer support team about potential toxins in the plywood, and they have told me that their beds are free of formaldehyde.)
For upholstery, Saatva offers natural linen as an option, which would be the non-toxic fabric choice!
Probably the most impressive feature of Saatva’s beds is their attention to quality and proper support. They even offer a 180-day trial to make sure you love the bed, plus a lifetime warranty — a feature you definitely won’t find at most big box furniture stores.
Conscious Qualities: Sustainably sourced hardwood, natural upholstery option, lifetime warranty
Price: Starts at $895 for a Queen
6. Birch
Organic and eco-friendly mattress company Birch also has a natural wood bed frame made from responsibly-sourced hardwood. In fact, all of the wood in the Birch Wood Frame are from FSC-certified and LEED compliant sources, to verify their commitment to responsible wood harvesting and energy use.
Specifically, this sustainable bed frame is made up of Appalachian hardwood bed rails, solid Southern Yellow Pin wood slats, and Appalachian Maple legs. This minimal solid wood bed frame is finished with all-natural water-based VOC-free finishes.
And in case you needed more reasons to love this non-toxic bed frame: it’s handmade in the USA, ships free, and comes with a 5-year warranty.
Conscious Qualities: Solid Wood, Responsibly Sourced, Zero VOC Finishes
Price: $499 for Twin
Check Out Birch’s Solid Wood Bed Frame
7. Masaya & Co
Beginning as a reforestation project, Masaya & Co. is dedicated to beyond sustainable sourcing. Not only does the furniture brand harvest their wood responsibly from their own forest (talk about transparency!), but the brand plants 100 trees for every product sold. All of Masaya & Co.’s eco-friendly bed frames are handmade by craftspeople in Nicaragua and finished with low-VOC natural oils.
Conscious Qualities: Invests in Reforestation, Made-to-Order, Ethical Production
Price: Starts at $1,405 for Twin
8 Thuma
Minimal yet functional, Thuma’s eco-friendly beds are designed with intention — they are supportive and sturdy yet simple and easy to assemble.
Each minimalist bed is made from upcycled and repurposed rubberwood trees and is shipped out efficiently in recycled cardboard. (No styrofoam here!) With an average 4.9 star rating from nearly 10,000 reviews, there’s clearly a lot to love about Thuma’s sustainable bed frames!
Conscious Qualities: Greenguard Certified, Repurposed Wood, Eco Packaging
Price: Starts at $795 for Twin
9. My Green Mattress
MyGreenMattress.com has a simple sustainable bed frame made in the US from untreated domestically-sourced Poplar wood. The non-toxic bed frame does not have any wood stains, adhesives, or toxic chemicals. This slatted platform bed also eliminates the need for a box spring.
Conscious Qualities: Domestically-Sourced Wood, Non-Toxic & Untreated, Made in the US
Price: Starts at $419
10. VivaTerra
Green home and lifestyle retailer VivaTerra has a collection of Vintage Fir bed collections that are handmade in California from reclaimed wood. The beds are available in various styles and finishes, which are achieved using water-based non-toxic stains. VivaTerra also has other sustainable bedroom furniture like coordinating bedside tables, dressers, and storage chests to complete the set.
Conscious Qualities: Reclaimed Wood, Non-Toxic Stains
Price: Starts at $1,995 for Twin
You May Also Want to Check Out:
The Best Non-Toxic Sofas for Truly Restful Relaxation
Your Ultimate Guide to Eco & Organic Bedding (30+ Brands!)
Gorgeous Sustainable Tables to Gather Around
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