The Specialty Sleep Association, a non-profit advocacy and education group, plans to create a program to certify green mattresses and bedding products.

The group, which is made up of retailers, manufacturers and suppliers, aims for the program to set standard industry-wide definitions of terms and widely-accepted standards for labeling mattresses, box spring and pillows.

Some of the terms the group is looking to better define are ones that many industries, and even the U.S. government, have grappled with, such as "green," "natural," "all-natural" and "organic." While many companies use such terms, they mean different things to different people. "Natural," for example, is used to describe cotton and wool as well as latex since it is derived, in some cases, from rubber trees.

The association is working with the Sustainable Furnishings Council and seeking input from industry stakeholders, and will identify and develop standards at a May 8 industry conference in Florida, with hopes to ratify the standards in the summer.

Pillow - photo CC license by frankenstoen