Eiderdown
The Common eider
Eiderdown is the undercoat of the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), a large seaduck native to Iceland. While nesting, the female’s body temperature rises, and she starts shedding the down from her chest. This enhances heat transfer from her body to the eggs, and she lines the nest with the down for insulation.
How is it different?
Properties of Eiderdown
Eiderdown is exceptionally light, soft, and warm. It consists solely of fluffy down plumules and contains no feathers. In comparison, even the finest goose down contains about 5% feathers. Millions of microscopic hooks make eiderdown incredibly cohesive—one of its unique characteristics. This means an eiderdown duvet won’t develop cold spots: once the down is distributed inside the casing, it clings to the fabric and to itself, staying perfectly in place. The down is also coated with a fine layer of natural oil, making it hydrophobic, flexible, and durable. As a result, eiderdown duvets can last for decades, as we see regularly in Iceland where duvets are passed down between generations.
The ethical way
The human-bird symbiosis
Eiderdown collection is a gentle collaborative practice between a wild bird and a human. The eiders voluntarily nest in our bird sanctuary, an area we protect against predators and human disturbance, and in return we get to collect the eiderdown they leave behind in their nests. We collect the eiderdown carefully by hand towards the end of the nesting season. We have to time it carefully because if we wait for too long, the down is damaged by the rain or blown away by the wind. But this means that there are still eggs and ducklings in some of the nests. Here we replace the down with a generous amount of dry hay, which appears to have no negative effect on the bird’s nesting success. Each year they voluntarily return. The eiders also seem comfortable around us and remain incredibly calm when we walk around the colony.
It just makes sense
A rare treasure
Eiderdown is a rare commodity with the yearly world production fluctuating between four and five tons. To put this in perspective, a similar amount of gold is being mined each year. The rarity of eiderdown in combination with its sustainable origin, high quality and durability make it the most valuable and highly priced down in the world. Eiderdown is the supreme bedding choice for the conscious and quality-minded consumer.
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If you have any questions, we’d be more than happy to talk to you.
Email us on [email protected] or call (+354) 835 9600.
