Where our down comes from, and how we think about it
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Down is the finest natural fill there is. It is also the one people are right to ask hard questions about, because the industry it comes from has a history that deserves scrutiny. We would rather answer those questions plainly than hope you do not raise them. So here is where our down comes from, how it is held to account, and what each of the marks on our certifications page actually means.
The two questions that matter
When people ask whether down is ethical, they are usually asking about two specific practices, and it helps to name them. The first is live-plucking, the removal of down from a bird that is still alive. The second is force-feeding, the practice associated with foie gras, where down is sometimes taken as a secondary product from birds raised in those conditions. Both are real concerns in parts of the global down trade, and both are avoidable. Responsible down means down taken only as a by-product, never live-plucked, and never linked to force-feeding.
How we answer them, with Downpass
We do not ask you to take our word for it. Our down carries Downpass certification, an independent standard that audits and tests the supply chain to confirm the down is traceable and that it comes from birds that were neither live-plucked nor force-fed. It is the assurance sitting underneath the whole question of welfare, given not by us but by an outside body whose work is to check.
Cleaned and tested, with Downafresh greenLine
Sourcing is one half. Cleanliness is the other, because down rests close to you for years. Our fill is certified to Downafresh greenLine, a European hygiene standard that confirms the down has been cleaned and processed to a high level and tested against strict limits, with added ecological criteria on how that cleaning is carried out. In plain terms, it is proof the down is genuinely clean, not simply called clean.
Gentle for allergy sufferers, with NOMITE
There is an old belief that down is unkind to allergies. For quality down held in a tightly woven, down-proof cover, the opposite is closer to the truth. Our pillows carry the NOMITE mark, which indicates they are suitable for people with a house dust mite allergy, because the dense weave that keeps the down in also keeps mites out. If down has ever given you pause for that reason, this is the mark worth knowing.
Safe against your skin, with OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Class 1
Every SHRNM pillow is certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100, tested for a long list of substances harmful to human health and found free of them. Ours are held to Class 1, the strictest tier, the one written for products intended for babies and toddlers. We hold our pillows to it not because a pillow is a baby product, but because the thing you breathe against for a third of your life should meet the same bar you would want for an infant.
Graded honestly, as Down and Feather Class 1
Fill can be described loosely across the industry, so we have ours classified too. Our down and feather is certified Class 1 to the European standard EN 12934, the grading that governs how fill content is measured and declared. It means the composition on the label is the composition in the pillow, checked against a common standard rather than our own say-so.
Brought together in Denmark
All of this is finished in Denmark, a country with one of the longest and most exacting traditions of down craft in the world. Working there means working within a supply chain where traceability and welfare are the norm rather than the exception, and it is where our pillows are filled and made.
Why we tell you this before you ask
A brand that is quiet about where its down comes from is usually quiet for a reason. We would rather be the opposite. Five independent marks, for welfare, hygiene, allergy, human safety, and fill grade, is a great deal of checking for a single pillow, and that is the point. If you are spending real money on something you intend to keep for years, you should be able to see the proof rather than take the promise.
And if, having read all of this, you would still prefer a pillow with no down in it at all, that is a completely reasonable choice, and we make one for exactly that reason. Ease is built on a recycled fibre, hypoallergenic and easy to live with, offered without any suggestion that it is a lesser pillow, because it is not.
Rest should be untroubled, including by the question of how it was made. We would like yours to be.
From our sanctuary to yours.
Common questions
Is SHRNM down ethically sourced? Yes. Our down is Downpass certified, an independent audit of the supply chain confirming it is traceable and comes from birds that were neither live-plucked nor force-fed.
Is down suitable for people with allergies? Our pillows carry the NOMITE mark, meaning they are suitable for house dust mite allergy sufferers, because the down-proof weave that holds the fill in also keeps mites out. They are also OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class 1 certified, the strictest tier for harmful substances.
What certifications do SHRNM pillows hold? Five. Downpass for welfare and traceability, Downafresh greenLine for hygiene, NOMITE for allergy suitability, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class 1 for human safety, and Down and Feather Class 1 to EN 12934 for honest fill grading.