Paramount Sleep Co. is rolling out what it calls a “hyper-local” sustainability story in its redesigned Paramount Collection. It’s the story of homegrown cotton.
The Norfolk, Virginia-based, fourth-generation bedding maker is using Virginia cotton in all of the mattresses in the new line, a move that makes it the first domestic mattress manufacturer to use locally grown, harvested and processed cotton from its home state, the company says.
The cotton, which comes from fields in Isle of Wight and Southampton counties about 40 miles from the Paramount factory, is processed in a collaboration between the Virginia Department of Agriculture and a local gin mill. A Southern company then takes that cotton and turns it into upholstery pads for Paramount.
Richard Fleck, Paramount’s president, says the Virginia-grown cotton supports the state’s economy, reduces the company’s carbon footprint and promotes the importance of natural bedding materials.
“It also tells a great story about the fact that the cotton can be traced directly to these local cotton fields,” he says.
Retailers who saw the new Paramount Collection at the recent High Point Market were “blown away” by the line and its natural selling story, Fleck adds.
Those two counties in Virginia are known for producing high-quality cotton that is pure white, soft and fluffy, he says. Paramount is using at least 10 pounds of that cotton in queen-size mattresses, placing it on top of the innerspring system to provide comfort and breathability.
Paramount says it is one of the few bedding manufacturers still using cotton these days. Fleck says cotton is a superior mattress comfort material because it is breathable, allowing air circulation in the mattress, and thus promoting cooler sleep. It also provides “a density and a body to the feel of the bed,” thereby adding support.
Cotton isn’t the only premium material in the new collection, which also features a cooling cover quilted with either a silk-wool cashmere blend or a 100% New Zealand wool and cashmere blend for moisture-wicking benefits. The mattresses also offer quilted natural latex in the lumbar region for extra support and reduced body impressions. GOLS-certified latex and high-density gel memory foam are also incorporated into the mattresses.
Like all Paramount mattresses, the new models are hand-tufted to provide enhanced support and durability.
The new Paramount Collection will retail from $1,999 to $4,999 in queen, taking the line into high-end price points.
Fleck says the line warrants those price points, given that it is fashioned from a variety of premium materials. But he also notes that as the market for natural, sustainable mattress components grows, that will bring prices for some of those materials down, thus making that category more accessible to a wider consumer base.
He’s encouraged by recent Consumer Insights Now mattress research published by Bedding News Now that reveals almost one-quarter of consumers — 22% — say that sustainable and eco-friendly materials are important to them and, crucially, that they will pay more for them.
“Twenty-two percent is a big market,” he observed.
And the sustainable story is one that has considerable growth potential for the industry.
“This is a relatively new journey for many companies,” he says. “I think this is the right thing to do and it’s the right journey for the industry. It’s also the right journey for the planet.”
