How Does the MADE SAFE® Certification Work?

MADE SAFE® certifies finished products — not individual materials — against thousands of known and suspected harmful substances, requiring complete ingredient disclosure and independent evaluation before certification is granted.

MADE SAFE® is a program of Nontoxic Certified, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It was among the first certification programs in the U.S. to apply a comprehensive, human-health- and ecosystem-focused standard across consumer product categories, screening not just for what harms people, but also for what harms aquatic life and wildlife.

MADE SAFE is a certification program, not a testing laboratory. Its method is disclosure and screening: a company must disclose every substance in the finished product, and MADE SAFE's science team evaluates each one against its Banned/Restricted List and broader human health and ecosystem criteria, judging each substance in the context of its use. When analytical lab work is needed to confirm a material or verify a result, it is carried out by independent third-party labs, not by MADE SAFE itself. That distinction is what makes the certification rigorous: it rests on full ingredient transparency and expert evaluation, so nothing enters the product undisclosed or unexamined. Certified products are screened against:

Certification requires complete ingredient transparency — every substance in a product must be disclosed and evaluated before the MADE SAFE seal can be granted.
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MADE SAFE certifies the product as it arrives in your home — not the individual materials used to make it. A cotton component certified elsewhere is not the same as a finished mattress that has been independently screened as a complete system. Avocado's mattresses, including our Organic Crib Mattress, hold MADE SAFE certification at the finished-product level.
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In 2024, Avocado published comprehensive PFAS test results — 679 substances screened at parts-per-billion sensitivity across core materials, including adult and crib mattresses. No detectable amounts were found. MADE SAFE's requirement for full ingredient disclosure makes that level of transparency a condition of certification, not an optional addition.
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Consumer Reports, in partnership with MADE SAFE, named the Avocado Organic Crib Mattress one of three Top Choices in its 2025 evaluation of the safest crib mattresses, with no known material risks.

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​​A conversation with MADE SAFE® Amy Ziff:

The MADE SAFE® certification process:

"Non-toxic" is not a regulated or legally defined term — no federal agency sets criteria for it or audits its use, so any brand can print it on a label. MADE SAFE is what gives the idea real substance. It is an independent, science-based certification that screens a finished product against thousands of substances known or suspected to harm human health and ecosystems — carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, reproductive and developmental toxins, heavy metals, and more — and requires full ingredient disclosure before the seal is granted. So instead of taking a "non-toxic" claim at face value, MADE SAFE certification verifies that a finished mattress has been independently screened for those substances.

No. Unlike "organic," which is regulated and independently audited, "non-toxic" has no federal definition, no required testing, and no enforcement behind it. It describes how a product is marketed, not how it was made or what it was screened against. That is why third-party, finished-product certification matters: MADE SAFE — alongside standards like OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and GREENGUARD Gold — replaces an unverifiable label claim with independent evaluation of the actual product.

Both, depending on the substance. MADE SAFE screens products against its Banned/Restricted List of thousands of known and suspected harmful substances. The most hazardous are banned outright and prohibited from use. Others are restricted — limited under specific thresholds, or permitted only where a substance is technically unavoidable, and additional testing supports it. This differs from certifications built purely around emission or exposure limits: MADE SAFE starts with full ingredient disclosure and evaluates every substance in the context of its use, rather than measuring a single output against a single acceptable level.

No. MADE SAFE is a certification program, not a testing laboratory. Its method is ingredient screening: a company must disclose every substance in the finished product, and MADE SAFE's science team evaluates those ingredients against its Banned/Restricted List and broader human health and ecosystem criteria, considering each substance in the context of its use. Where analytical lab testing is involved — such as confirming a specific material or verifying results — it is conducted by independent third-party labs, not by MADE SAFE. The certification's rigor comes from full disclosure and expert evaluation rather than from running its own tests.
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No — they answer different questions, and a strong mattress holds both. Organic certification (GOTS) verifies how the materials were grown and processed: what was kept out of the soil, the water, and the supply chain. MADE SAFE screens the finished product against thousands of substances known or suspected to harm health and ecosystems. One certifies the inputs; the other screens the finished product for hazards. Avocado mattresses hold both.

"Chemical-free" isn't an accurate or meaningful claim — everything, including water and air, is made of chemicals — and no one verifies it. MADE SAFE takes the opposite approach: it requires a brand to disclose every substance in a finished product, then screens against thousands of known and suspected harmful substances, including toxic flame retardants, harmful VOCs, and heavy metals. The point isn't an absolute claim that nothing is present; it's independent verification that specific harmful substances were screened out of the finished product.
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