What you fill your home with matters
From synthetic foams to stain-resistant fabrics, many mass-produced furniture items for the home contain chemicals of concern that can offgas into the spaces you live, eat and sleep, and ultimately affect your health. Enter Sway, and our rigorous product-vetting process.
facts
The EPA has found that indoor levels of pollutants can be 2-5 times (and occasionally more than 100 times) higher than outdoor levels.
For each product category on Sway, from rugs to wall paints, we vet items against a checklist of materials and certifications that can help to protect your health. These lists are based on guidance from established, reputable organizations that focus on materials health, primarily the Environmental Working Group, the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design, and the Green Science Policy Institute.
Explore our standards for Sway products
✅ Finished with zero- or low-VOC products
✅ Natural fabrics: Cotton, wool (organic, if possible)
✅ Natural latex or low-VOC certified foam
✅ FSC-certified (solid) wood frames, or wood products that have no added formaldehyde or limit formaldehyde exposure
🚫 No added flame retardant chemicals
🚫 No stain-guard fabric coatings or water-repellent finishes
✅ Finished with zero- or low-VOC products
✅ FSC-certified (solid) wood frames, or wood products that have no added formaldehyde or limit formaldehyde exposure
✅ At least 95% certified organic content (cotton, wool or natural latex)
✅ Low-VOC certification (e.g., GREENGUARD Gold)
✅ 100% natural latex (for latex mattresses)
🚫 No polyurethane foam
🚫 No added chemical flame retardants
🚫 No added fragrances or antimicrobials
🚫 No PVC or vinyl
🚫 No solvent-based glue (unless water-based) between foam layers of the mattress
✅ Wool or natural plant materials (organic, if possible)
✅ Low-VOC certification for synthetic rugs
✅ Natural rubber rug pads
🚫 No stain or water-proofing treatments
✅ Natural fabrics: e.g. cotton or wool with organic certification (e.g. Global Organic Textile Standard: GOTS)
✅ Meet low emission and/or chemical screening requirements through third-party standards (e.g. OEKO-TEX standards, MADE SAFE)
🚫 Avoid antimicrobials, perfluorinated stain repellents, and flame retardants
🚫 Avoid PVC in the textile itself, and in backings or coatings
🚫 No vinyl (for shower curtains)
In progress:
🚫 Dyes that are free of heavy metals
✅ Green Seal-11 certified, or meets the criteria
✅ Water-based
✅ Low- or no-VOC (less than 50 g VOCs per liter for flat paint; no more than 100 grams per liter for non-flat paint)
✅ Low- or no-VOC color additives
🚫 No “antifungal” or “antimicrobial” paints
🚫 No formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
Industry certifications
A list of the third-party standards we look for in Sway-approved products.
Always evolving.
As the materials health space evolves, so does Sway. Our methods for evaluating products on Sway are not fixed. As more research on materials emerges, we’ll continue to adjust our standards to reflect it.