Leesa is overhauling its mattress lineup with eco-friendly 'GreenFlex foam' — why it's a must for cleaner sleep and the planet

The main image shows the Leesa Studio Chill mattress on a bed frame. On the left is an ident showing a close up of a hand pressing into the new GreenFlex BioFoam — (Image credit: Future | Leesa)

Being green has just gotten easier, with the launch of Leesa's new GreenFlex BioFoam. This plant-based material is designed to deliver the same cushioned feel as memory foam, but with less impact on the planet.

The best mattresses you can buy online typically use foams derived from plastic — big on comfort but harsh on the environment. The GreenFlex BioFoam swaps petroleum for plant-based polyols, and it's made in-house to further cut down emissions.

This biobased material can be found in all Leesa mattresses (except the Oasis Chill, Legend Hybrid and Natural Youth) and just in time for the 4th of July mattress sales. But before you shop 30% off mattresses at Leesa, here's everything you need to know about the new GreenFlex foam.

Leesa's 30% off sale has returned for the 4th of July, with savings across the mattress line-up — our top pick is the Sapira, an excellent side sleeper mattress and a great choice for couples. In the sale a queen is $1,489 (was $2,139) and a 120-night trial and lifetime warranty is included. We don't think the introduction of the BioFlex foam has correlated with a price increase but we'll be keeping a close eye when this sale ends.

Our Leesa Sapira Hybrid Mattress review: ★★★★½
User score: ★★★★½ (2,600+ reviews)

What's the new GreenFlex BioFoam?

Traditional mattress foam is made from polyurethane, a synthetic plastic that's molded and baked to form the cushioning in your bed.

Leesa's new GreenFlex BioFoam swaps polyurethane for plant-based polyols, a sustainable and renewable material. It's a new take on eco-foams, delivering a more traditional foam feel than bouncy latex foams but with less waste than soy-based materials (GreenFlex uses 45% of the oil extracted from the base planyt, compared to just 14% from soy.)

Mattress tester for Tom's Guide in the 3z factory feeling a new mattress surface — (Image credit: Future)

And it's backed up with triple certification: CertiPUR-US (a must for any memory foam mattress), GREENGUARD Gold and USDA BioPreferred. Certifications are one of the best ways to determine if your natural mattress goes beyond greenwashing, so it's reassuring that Leesa's collecting awards.

Base material aren't the only way Leesa intends to dial-up the eco-comfort — the crops are harvested on 'marginal land' to prevent deforestation while the material has been created in-house to reduce transport emissions.

What does this mean for your mattress?

Leesa stresses that when developing the foam, it strived to maintain the 'characteristic feel' its mattresses are known for. So what is that feel? In our testing experience, Leesa foams tend to deliver squishy, slow-moving body contouring that wraps you up in a 'hug'.

We've been particularly impressed by the pressure relief of beds such as the Leesa Original Mattress. And you might notice our Leesa Sapira Mattress review team specifically praises the "dense, high-quality foams" — fingers crossed the GreenFlex delivers a similar performance.

A woman sits on the edge of the Leesa Studio Chill Mattress to test its edge support — (Image credit: Future)

Leesa also promises "cooler" comfort (and a breathable feel is a hallmark of the best organic mattresses) alongside durability, which means your mattress should evade the dumpster for longer.

So if you've been eyeing up a Leesa mattress, this update is good news. The beds should feel the same, but you can sleep sounder knowing you're doing your bit for the planet.

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Ruth is an experienced Senior Staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things sleep and mattresses. She writes to help people sleep better, from how-tos to the latest deals to mattress reviews, and has interviewed an array of experts who share her passion. She is also our specialist on memory foam — she’s flown around the world to see memory foam being made — and leads our hotel mattress content. She has a deep interest in the link between sleep and health, and has tried enough mattresses, from Helix to Nectar to Simba, to know the right bed really can make a difference to your wellbeing. Before joining the team at Tom’s Guide, Ruth worked as a sleep and mattress writer for our sister website, TechRadar.