This Eco-Friendly Weighted Blanket Now Comes in Summery New Colors — and It Will Keep You Cool While You Nap
If you don’t yet own a weighted blanket, chances are very good that you’ve at least thought about adding one to your bedtime rotation. The heavy throws, which can range anywhere from a few pounds to 25 or even 30 pounds, Apartment Therapy-favorite Bearaby is putting the focus not only on one of its most sustainable styles, but on giving back in the process. Not only are they debuting three new summery colorways for their uber-popular, cooling Tree Napper blanket — in colors called dayflower, amber, and elderberry — but they’re committing to planting a forest in Uganda to coincide with the launch.
The Tree Napper is made from an eco-friendly and biodegradable Tencel fabric woven from eucalyptus fibers. (As Vogue Business noted in 2019, it takes about 94 days for Tencel to begin to break down when buried in soil — that’s longer than it takes for linen and rayon, but not nothing, especially when compared to plastic-based polyester) Not only is Tencel a renewable resource, but it’s cooling, too — which means it’s perfect for a catnap in the upcoming summer months.
As Bearaby’s founder and CEO Kathrin Hamm told Apartment Therapy, using Tencel is “one of many ways we try to minimize our impact on the planet,” adding that “Bearaby committed to being a sustainable and zero waste company right at the brand’s inception.” To further that mission, they’re partnering with EcoMatcher to plant and nurture a forest in Nakaseke, Uganda — and the first 1,000 customers to pick up one of the new Tree Nappers will effectively “adopt” a tree so that they can then follow its growth and life cycle. This echos the transparency ethos already built into the Bearaby model: Each blanket comes with a QR code so you can follow your blanket’s life cycle, from materials to your couch or bed.
“The creation of our Bearaby Forest in partnership with EcoMatcher closes the CO2 loop by pairing each Tree Napper with its very own tree, ensuring we only take from the earth what we can also give back,” Hamm said. “Land restoration through tree planting is one way to create an immensely positive impact and take climate action.”
Of course, another great way to take action against the climate crisis is to stay mindful of how much you’re consuming, so if you already have a weighted blanket that gets the job done, getting a new one now might only add to the problem. But if you’re looking for a sign to finally join the weighted blanket brigade, consider this your opportunity to reap the benefits and do some good in the process. Or as Hamm put it, “Our responsibility is to prioritize better business to put the harmful impact we have on the planet to sleep.”