THE CLIMATE CHANGE FIGHT
When we became Climate Label Certified in 2019, we made a commitment that most companies weren't making: to measure every ton of carbon our business produced — from the farms where our materials are grown to the moment a mattress arrives at your door — and to be publicly accountable for it. That commitment hasn't changed. What has changed is our understanding of what meaningful climate action actually looks like.
For years, carbon offsets were the standard tool companies reached for: measure your emissions, buy credits, call it even. The logic was appealing. The results, increasingly, were not. A growing body of independent research has found that offset projects have too often failed to deliver the reductions they promised — and that companies purchasing them don't, on average, reduce their own emissions any faster than those that don't. Offsets became, in too many cases, a way to manage the appearance of a carbon footprint rather than the footprint itself. We don't think that's good enough. And we don't think you do either.
Our climate strategy was never built around compensation. It was built around substitution — replacing the materials that cause the problem with ones that don't. When we replace petroleum-derived foam with certified organic latex tapped from rubber trees, those emissions never enter the system. When we source certified organic cotton and wool instead of conventionally grown alternatives, we're not neutralizing a carbon debt. We're not incurring one. The climate funding we invest each year is the real cost premium of choosing certified organic inputs over conventional ones — emissions avoided at the source, not accounted for after the fact.
That approach is harder. It requires changing the product itself, not just the accounting around it. It means the work is never finished, because every new material category, every new supplier, every new product line is another opportunity to either hold the standard or accept a compromise. We hold the standard. That is our long-term commitment, regardless of cost or prevailing industry practice in any given year.
WHO IS THE CLIMATE LABEL?
The Climate Label is an independent nonprofit accelerating the transition to a low-carbon world. They help companies measure their full emissions footprint, register verified reduction plans, and take accountable action — with public tracking built in. Their standard has evolved alongside the science of what credible climate action requires, and we've evolved with it.
Avocado was the first mattress brand in the world to be Climate Label Certified. We don't display that credential because it was first. We maintain it because accountability requires someone else to check — and the Climate Label does, every year.
THE FUTURE
There is no livable planet without action. The path forward runs through direct decarbonization — reducing emissions inside your own value chain, not accounting around them. The Climate Label helps brands make that commitment publicly and keep it honestly. If every company in our category measured its full footprint, replaced fossil-fuel inputs at the source, and reported progress whether or not it was flattering — the impact would be real and measurable. That is not a competitive threat to us. It is the outcome we have been working toward since the beginning.
HOW IT WORKS
1. MEASURE
Avocado measures its Scope 1, 2, and 3 cradle-to-consumer greenhouse gas emissions — covering everything from raw material production and processing through manufacturing and delivery. Measurement includes our directly operated facilities, retail stores, and the upstream material inputs that represent the largest share of our footprint. Our emissions data is independently verified under the Climate Label Standard. Visit our Climate Label profile to see our current verified figures.
2. REDUCE
Avocado maintains registered, publicly tracked reduction targets under the Climate Label Standard — covering our material inputs, manufacturing, and logistics. Our long-term commitment is a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from our 2021 baseline by 2030. Progress is reported annually and tracked externally, because a reduction commitment only has weight when someone else is checking.
3. FUND
Our climate funding is the verified cost premium we pay to source certified organic inputs instead of conventional alternatives — the real financial cost of keeping synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fossil-fuel-derived materials out of our supply chain. This is not offset purchasing. These are emissions that never enter the system. We invest this premium across every product we make, and we expect it to grow as we extend certified organic sourcing into more material categories.
4. LABEL
We proudly display the Climate Label Certified logo on our website, on our product tags, and on our packaging — because transparency is only meaningful when it's visible.