Down/Warmth Grade/Animal Welfare
We love down!
A natural down duvet is always our recommendation - it is wonderfully light, breathable and cuddly. With us you will find the perfect duvet for every season, so that you can enjoy every day of the year through the highest sleeping comfort.
A wonder of nature
Since there is no material that traps more air, down is simply the best filling for blankets. The down quality can be clearly identified by its filling power. Premium qualities made of pure goose down, such as the Gans Royal or Suprême series, have a filling power of more than 450 litres/kg (around 800 cuin)! With the appropriate cotton covers, which are nowadays woven from the finest yarns, and which are 'Nomite' certified, these blankets are also perfect for allergy sufferers. If the right warmth class is chosen, down is neither too warm nor too cool, but simply perfect for a healthy sleep! Our Gans-Team will be happy to inform you in the shop without obligation!
First the down, then the pleasure
Ducks and geese know what they have in their feathers. It is light, it warms and it protects against moisture. The ingenious construction of down creates tiny pockets of air that ensure no heat is lost and moisture is wicked away. Another plus: down is incredibly elastic. We call this property filling power or bulkiness - THE quality feature of a down duvet. It is easy to test the filling power: Place an elephant on your duvet. As soon as the animal is gone, the down will immediately spring back into its original shape.
However, down is not only elastic. They are also natural, sustainable and completely safe for allergy sufferers.
An informative article about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Mvx7RhX9E
Pure down, clear conscience
Goose down comforters and down pillows are high-quality brand products for which we use only the very best raw materials. We obtain these from selected suppliers in Europe. The down and feathers come from well-fed, adult animals from harmless animal husbandry. Our down comes neither from live plucking nor from stuffing. Our suppliers are carefully checked, certified accordingly and also regularly inspected.
High quality down has many advantages. They are large flocked, the blankets are filled with less down and are pleasantly light. They have a higher filling power. More air pockets ensure a better temperature balance and moisture exchange. They are significantly more durable and long-lasting. Unlike feathers, down has no hard quills and is therefore much fluffier.
A constant balance between warm and cool, dry and damp creates a particularly cosy feeling. The sleeper never feels cramped. Very important for a deep, restful sleep. Because sleep research knows: on average, people turn over in their bed up to 42 times a night.
It is also interesting and worth mentioning that in a research project of the EDFA by the University of Hohenheim it was investigated to reuse down and feathers in an environmentally and resource friendly way in the future: https://edfa.eu/de/umwelt-recycling/.
Eider down
Eider ducks are rare. Their habitat is limited to Iceland and Greenland. Their offspring are particularly cosy. Because of the extreme cold, they are given a nest made from the mother's breast down. When the little ones have flown out, the abandoned nests are emptied by state-certified collectors. The down collected in this way is then sorted by hand, hygienically processed, washed and dried. Characteristic for eider down is the dark beige colour as well as the unusually many branchings, which stick like burrs. They also ensure that blankets with eiderdown are the best, warmest and lightest of their kind.
But before we go into raptures here for a long time, just come and see for yourself what we mean.
Animal welfare is a big concern for us
And because the best is always so close at hand, we pay particular attention to where our materials come from: as much as possible from Austria and Europe.
Because we work and manage sustainably, animal welfare is also a special concern for us. Because if we treat the geese, our most important suppliers, well, they will also deliver perfect quality. Of course, they do this only after their demise. We do not pluck out a single feather while they are still alive. As a guarantee for you, our down and feathers are RDS certified according to the highest standard, which is also recommended by animal welfare organizations.
You see: Your good night's sleep is the result of responsible work.
Animal Welfare Policy
Status June 2017
- Our responsibility
As a leading company of high-quality bedding, we assume a social responsibility for the observance of animal-friendly and sustainable husbandry conditions. This relates in particular to freedom from hunger and thirst, pain and injury, and fear and suffering. - Purchasing suppliers
Animal welfare aspects are taken into account in our purchasing processes for all products that contain raw materials of animal origin. The principles, measures and goals defined for this purpose represent a binding framework for action for our suppliers and the entire Gans team. In addition, the Gans range always includes alternatives made from plant-based or synthetic materials. - Standards-Auditing-Control
Transparency of the supply chain and traceability are of central importance for a sustainable assortment. Certification for this must be carried out according to the highest standards in the respective product areas and must be audited by independent control bodies. Down and feathers used in our products are therefore certified exclusively according to the strict Responsible Down Standard (RDS). Compliance with this standard is monitored by an independent company (Control Union). - Declaration of animal materials
a) Down and feathers: Certified according to RDS without exception: Live plucking and stuffing of geese and ducks is thus excluded!
b) Wool (Merino): Complete ban on mulesing. The Responsible Wool Standard serves as a guideline.
c) (Wild) Silk: Obligation of our suppliers that only ethically produced silk may be processed.
d) Cashmere: Commitment by our suppliers that only wool from producers who are classified by us as unobjectionable will be used.
e) Furs, skins or hides: We generally do NOT purchase any!
Warmth grades of down comforters
You do not know which blanket to choose?
Our down duvets are divided into different degrees of warmth so that you sleep under the right duvet for every season.
With the help of the table you can easily find out which duvet is the right one for you.
Do you need more advice? Feel free to call us - we will help you!
As we are unfortunately not able to advise you as well in our online shop as we can in a branch, we have created a table for you. So you can easily choose the right thickness of your duvet.
