The sleep products industry is committed to providing consumers with safe and healthy products. Consumers also deserve full and fair disclosure of the content of the product they purchase.
Although ISPA does not support burdensome regulation of the sleep products industry, a degree of regulation is needed to protect consumers from deceptive trade practices and mattresses that violate safety standards.
States began instituting “tagging laws” requiring that mattresses identify their contents in the early 1900’s. These laws protect consumers from unknowingly purchasing bedding that contains unsafe or unsanitary second hand materials. Despite the success and importance of these laws, some states have repealed their statutes, allowed them to sunset, or simply stopped enforcing them. Not every state currently has a tagging law. Even in states that do have active tagging laws, a lack of enforcement resources has allowed unsanitary and unsafe practices to continue to plague unsuspecting consumers.
How ISPA Helps
ISPA is concerned about the increase in sales of illegal unsanitary renovated mattresses. ISPA encourages all states to enact, renew and enforce reasonable tagging laws that will benefit consumer health and safety while protecting the good name of the sleep products industry.
Additionally, ISPA is concerned that some state laws may prohibit the use of wholly recycled materials that have been remanufactured. ISPA supports proper mattresses recycling and believes that recycled components should be treated as new under these laws provided they are processed in a way that renders them as clean as virgin materials.
ISPA offers a regularly updated Manual of Labeling Laws & Registration Requirements free for members and available for purchase by nonmembers. The guide serves as the source for complying with state bedding labeling laws.
