The Responsible Down Standard safeguards the welfare of geese and ducks that provide down and feathers for the products we all love.
The Responsible Down Standard ensures that down and feathers come from ducks and geese that have been treated well. This means enabling them to live healthy lives, express innate behaviors, and not suffer from pain, fear or distress. The standard also follows the chain of custody from farm to product, so consumers can be confident that the down and feathers in the products they choose are truly RDS.
The Responsible Down Standard is an independent, voluntary global standard, which means that companies can choose to certify their products to the RDS, even if there is no legislation requiring them to do so. The RDS was developed and revised over three years, with the input of animal welfare groups, industry experts, brands and retailers. The standard recognizes the best practices in animal welfare, and excludes those that violate the animal’s well being.
Any removal of down and feathers from live birds (live-plucking or molt-harvesting) is prohibited.
Force-feeding is prohibited.
The welfare of the birds is respected at all times: from hatching to slaughter.
RDS down and feathers is properly identified at all times; this ensures that non-RDS down and feathers are not mistakenly identified as RDS.
The entire supply chain is audited by a professional, third party certification body.
Only products with 100% certified down and feathers carry the RDS logo.
A number of things happen:
1. The brand talks to their suppliers to get a clear picture of their down supply chain. Eventually each step of the supply chain, all the way to the farm, will get certified by an approved third-party (called a Certification Body).
2. The certification process involves two steps.On-site audit: an inspector visits a factory or company, does a visual inspection, checks documents and procedures, and interviews staff and workers. The results from this visit is called an audit report.Certification decision: the audit report is sent to a certifier who will review all the results, and decide whether the company is issued certification or not.
Every certification conducted by a Certification Body involves two people: an inspector and a certifier. This is called the ‘four eyes principle’.
3. On farms and slaughterhouses (anywhere animals are present) the Certification Body checks the well being of the animals, looks for any evidence of live plucking or force-feeding, and makes sure everything is done in accordance with the standard.
4. At factories and manufacturers the Certification Body checks the RDS materials (down, feathers, jackets, duvets, etc.) that enter and leave a factory to make sure they are properly identified. RDS products are tracked as they move through production, and kept separate from non-certified products.
Daniadown's supply, manufacturing and distribution operations has been Certified to RDS by Control Union. Our RDS Certification Number is #841317.
]]>However thread counts are not a true indicator of a sheets’ quality. This depends more on the quality of the cotton, the thickness of the thread, the type of weave (percale versus sateen) and how the threads are woven together (single threads or multiple threads). For example a 200 thread count Egyptian cotton percale would be a much better sheet than a 600 thread count sateen cotton sheet with a multiple pic weave. (ie. such as when 5 threads are woven together in 1 pass of the weft thereby effectively reducing the “true” thread count and tightness of the cloth).
So keep in mind that thread count is only one indication of quality as other factors such as weave pattern, fibre content, dyeing and finishing processes also play important roles in the overall quality of the fabric. In short, buying bed linens is highly technical and the marketing of such is rampant with smoke and mirrors. Often the best indicator of a sheet’s quality is its price and the seller's reputation.
The softness of a sheet depends on both the smoothness of the cotton yarns and the weave of the cotton yarns. Better quality long staple cottons, such as Egyptian cotton, are smoother than other cottons and give a softer hand to the sheets. In addition, a sateen weave will feel softer to the hand than a percale weave. In general, higher thread counts above 300 which use finer yarns to weave, will feel softer than lower thread counts of 200 and below, however there is not a direct relationship between thread count and softness. Another issue with thread count is single ply vs. double ply. Some companies twist two yarns to create a single yarn that is then woven into the fabric. They then claim 2x the thread count, so a 600 thread count sheet could actually be only 300 thread count, which is misleading to the consumer. North American governments are trying to eliminate this type of claim. Sheets with thread counts higher than 600 tend to be substantially thicker (due to the extra threads) and are less permeable to air. This causes them to be hotter to sleep under and heavy. In addition, to reach these higher thread counts more threads must be woven together in one pass of the weft which does not really result in a tighter weave. Thread count is not always indicative of a better quality sheet.
]]>Daniadown applies Ultra-Fresh, an antimicrobial and hypoallergenic treatment, during the down cleaning process to add a powerful benefit. Ultra-Fresh actively discourages and destroys many of the bacteria and fungi that create unpleasant smells and staining, keeping items cleaner and fresher. It even helps control dust mites which are a trigger for allergens and asthma. It’s an assurance of long life for the product, and lasting freshness for you and your family.
The following information regarding allergies and down has been taken from www.downmark.ca website
Concern about allergies to down is a bit of an old wives tale. True allergies to down and feather are quite rare. Most people who believe they are allergic to down or feather are actually allergic to dust mites. We know people who were told they were allergic to down and feather who have been using modern down products for many years with no problems.
High quality downs are put through rigorous cleaning processes which finish with special treatments to insure the down is hypoallergenic. People are usually allergic to dust mites rather than to either down or feather. Using a mite proof pillow protector on new or newly cleaned pillows will eliminate most of these problems.
Some people are under the impression that polyester is a better choice than down for those with allergies. Several independent studies now show that this is not the case. Polyester pillows support dust mites to a greater extent than do down pillows. A study quoted in the British Medical Journal showed that asthmatics did better with down bedding than with polyester.
Link to British Medical Journal studv
Link to New Zealand study
The European Down and Feather Association has a very good article on their web site: they include all sources for the information given. You can read that article at:
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