When choosing a duvet insert, we prefer recycled down, recycled synthetics, eucalyptus fiber, and OEKO-TEX or GOTS certified cotton. We avoid virgin down and feathers because the industry is wrought with animal abuse. If virgin down is a must-have in your household, look for products that are certified by Global Traceable Down Standard or Responsible Down Standard to ensure you’re not accidentally supporting live-plucking practices. 

Materials

Down and Feathers

The majority of the comfy cozy products that we associate with down are stuffed with either down, feathers, or a combination of both. Lesson one: Down and feathers are not the same thing. Feathers are taken from the back and wings of waterfowl and have quills. This may ring a bell if you’ve ever been poked by a quill popping out of a jacket or bedding. Products that are stuffed with feathers will flatten out over time as the quills line up and they typically aren’t as soft or warm as full-down products. Down, on the other hand, refers to the soft layer of clusters taken from the chest area of a goose, swan, or duck. These clusters are round and fluffy like a dandelion or cotton ball. Down is soft, light, and airy, insulates better than feathers, and doesn’t flatten out as quickly since it doesn’t have quills. These attributes make down more coveted than feathers, but many manufacturers will use a mixture of the two so that they can advertise the use of down while also cutting costs. 

In theory, as long as the commercial poultry industry is in existence, down and feathers could be a byproduct that (again, theoretically) limits the amount of waste to landfill during processing. Plus, these materials are recyclable and can be composted at home. The unfortunate reality is that in conventional down production, waterfowl are often plucked while they’re alive. This practice is outlawed in the U.S., but it still takes place in Hungary, Poland, and China, the world’s largest down producers. The commercial down industry produces 270,000 metric tons of down annually, and it is estimated that 50-80% of the down on the market is live-plucked. That’s a lot of unnecessary suffering. This is all to say that if you choose to buy down products, be super careful to check for certifications by Global Traceable Down Standard or Responsible Down Standard.

Polyester

Polyester is the most widely-used manufactured fiber, and is popular for its durability and low price tag. Sure, durability and accessibility are both great, but polyester has major downsides, including that it’s derived from fossil fuels. Extracting petroleum (which is needed to produce polyester) involves drilling and fracking, which have a host of negative environmental consequences (*cough*, oil spills, *cough*) that are not infrequent and can devastate already fragile wildlife populations. The environmental effects of drilling overwhelmingly impact people of color and low-income folks, who are more likely to live in communities near these sites. 

If that wasn’t bad enough, the chemical treatments used by polyester manufacturers are toxic and known to cause neurological damage and even cancer at high levels of exposure, putting factory workers at risk. Plus, every time polyester gets washed, it sheds tiny pieces of plastic threads - aka microplastics - that enter our waterways and devastate marine ecosystems or even find their way into our bodies. The Plastic Soup Foundation estimates that up to 35% of plastic polluting in our oceans comes from microfibers shed by synthetic fabrics. We’ll pass!

If you really prefer a polyester duvet insert, look out for ones made with recycled materials. Recycling uses significantly less energy than making polyester from scratch. Studies have found that using recycled polyester cut water requirements in production by two-thirds, and that using recycled polyester could lead to a 59% reduction in energy use.  

Recycled Down

Because down retains its structure over time better than feathers, it can be collected, cleaned, and used all over again in new products. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find; none of the duvet inserts we’ve rated on Amazon contain the stuff. 

Cotton

Cotton is a popular duvet material due to its soft fibers, breathability, and absorption, and it’s also the most widely used natural fiber on the planet. Unfortunately, it is a water-intensive crop that takes a significant toll on the soil and is associated with deforestation. Cotton is also particularly vulnerable to pests and other insects, which has led to a flourishing agrochemical industry around its cultivation. Almost 5% of global pesticide sales and 10% of global insecticides sales come from the cotton industry. Luckily, some cotton is grown in ways that can be kinder to our planet (see organic cotton below). In general, a plant-based material like cotton requires less energy to manufacture than a petroleum-based alternative like polyester. 

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is grown without relying on the use of harmful chemicals, leaving the soil, air, and water with fewer contaminants. In an LCA looking at the differences between organic cotton and conventional cotton, the Textile Exchange found that organic cotton produces 46% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, creates 70% less acidification of land and water, the potential for soil erosion drops 26%, surface and groundwater use falls anywhere from 48% to 91%, and the demand for energy can drop by as much as 62%. While we think organic cotton is great, we recognize that it’s harder to come by. Less than 1% of all cotton produced is organic.

Eucalyptus

Another “natural”, plant-based fiber, eucalyptus wood pulp uses about 10 times less water than cotton and doesn’t necessarily require new planting each season since it is cut instead of uprooted. Eucalyptus is becoming an increasingly popular down alternative, though it’s still not super easy to find. Only a few of the duvets we’ve rated contain eucalyptus fiber.  

Certifications

Here are some certifications to look for when shopping this category.

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