On average, standard down duvets have a lifespan of 8-10 years. Duvets filled with eiderdown can last four times longer, up to 40 years. To make the most of this extreme longevity, proper maintenance is necessary. From the bottom of my heart I can say that I am very satisfied with my new duvet. I sleep very well with it. As I held a clump of eiderdown in my hand, however, one Icelander told me something that seemed to offer an alternative to this unsettling relationship between humans and birds. He said that the eider it once belonged to is probably still alive. Not in some dark barn, or even in an open-air enclosure, but in the wilds of the Arctic Circle. I have slept under white goose down my entire life, and recently upgraded to eiderdown. It is distinctly fluffier and lighter with no shortage of warmth. I am delighted with my Icelandic Down duvet.

The birds are so accustomed to this ritual that when Jon approaches they move a few feet away, allow him to gather the down and then they return to their nest. Like the brave 300, companies broke the phalanx of fashion houses on a bristling wall of down clothes. Unlike the 300, brands like Berghaus, Montane and others, prevailed. The beards had won, and eider was once again the preserve of the mountaineers and hikers. One of the biggest threats to eiders in recent years is the warming climate. A study published in the journal Biological Conservation in 2018, found polar bears were eating eider eggs as ice melt makes it difficult for the bears to hunt for seals, their main food source. They need the ice to take them out to sea to find the seals. It might be the case that these ecological changes would increase the price of Canadian down,” Dey says. Price increases would make it less competitive, and, even, less desirable.

Collection and Processing

We are quite worried about this for our Inuit partners. It’s a cultural activity,” Dey says. And if the eiderdown becomes increasingly difficult to source, that could mark the beginning of the end. “It can weaken the connection with people and the natural landscape they live in.” The second certificate comes from one of twelve quality inspectors who have been appointed by the Icelandic government to oversee that all eiderdown sold and exported in Iceland is pure, quality eiderdown and that the weight described is accurate.” Another scenario could see efforts to stop polar bears from hunting the eggs. And with the bears already critically endangered, human interference could lead to further population declines. Eiderdown demand To ensure the quality of our duvets we use more eiderdown for filling than most of our competitors. With brands such as Canada Goose and Arc’teryx gaining the status of cold-weather “it coats” worldwide, Canada is making its mark on the global outerwear industry with performance that stands up to the elements without skimping on style.

Five thousand euros,"says Elin Logadottir, sales director at 66° North, an outdoor clothing company based in Iceland. Thirdly, value for money, they really are unmatched. My duvet had over 1kg of eiderdown fill and when compared with elsewhere, IcelandicDown was at least 30% more inexpensive.As consumers turn away from conventional down linked to animal cruelty, demand for eiderdown has never been higher. This is bringing an influx of new harvesters, many of whom may disturb active nests. This is putting pressure on the rest of the often-fragile ecosystems when they’re trampled by eider foragers. Some brands are reusing down by sterilizing and recycling the feathers. Sustainable outdoor gear giant Patagonia has committed to using 80 percent recycled down. Eiderdown’s future Eiderdown automatically adjusts to the ambient temperature. When the outside temperature rises, the microscopic ‘hairs’ adjust to lay slightly flatter. As a result, the filling force, and thus the insulation strength, decreases in the summer. When the air cools, the filling power increases again, and the eiderdown duvet becomes more insulating. Softness