The eiderdown industry is an eco-friendly industry creating the best performance natural duvet insulator in the world. Only 4.000kg exists globally which translates into ca 4.000 units of eiderdown duvets, IF only using eiderdown.

1. The Eiderdown duvet industry

2.  Environmentally friendly, environment-friendly,
eco-friendly, nature-friendly,
and green are marketing claims referring
to goods and services, laws, guidelines and
policies that inflict reduced, minimal, or no
harm at all, upon ecosystems or
the environment.[

3.  First of all, the eiderduck is completely wild
and lives in only very isolated and few places
around the world. The main places are Iceland
and Canada, where the eiderdown industry is
thriving.
 The bird comes to no harm due to this
industry and it lives a completely wild life.
 How do we get the eiderdown then?

4.  Every June (summer) the eider duck (somateria
mollissima) returns to shore (typically to the
islands of the coastline where it is relatively safe
from foxes and other predators) to lay eggs.
They create nests for the eggs and use its own
eiderdown as a natural insulator for the nests.
 This happens naturally, as the eider duck sheds
the down off its chest and uses it for insulation
purposes to keep the eggs warm in these cold
harsh environments.

5.  During this season the eiderdown farmer visits
these dozens of nests and very carefully hand-picks
the eiderdown that has naturally fallen of
the bird´s chest. At this point the farmer uses
extreme care and does not hurt the bird by
plucking off down. That is never done. The only
down that is taken is down that has fallen
naturally off its chest into the nest.
 A special relationship exists between the wild bird
and the bird farmer.

6.  Sometimes the farmer in fact moves, very
gently, the wild bird out of the nest so he can
pick the eiderdown from the nest. He then
carefully replaces the bird onto the nest.
 This has no bad effect on the bird´s habitat as
the bird just sheds more down off its chest to
re-insulate the nest.
 This process is therefore completely eco-friendly
and eco-sustainable – unlike all
other duvet filling material industries

7.  All other filling material, for example Goose
down, regular duck down and others, are not
eco-friendly. Why?
 Workers pluck the down off these birds with
their bare hands while they are alive.
 Did anyone say cruel and unusual
punishment?

8.  At Skarð, Skarðsströnd (Iceland) exists a
special relationship between these wild eider
ducks and the farmer Mr. Hilmar Kristinsson
(and his family).
 There is a respect to this stock of wild birds
and a respect to the natural habitat.
 This is a truly unique industry and while
buying an eiderdown duvet one would be
supporting this completely eco-friendly
industry. Directly supporting the local farmer.

9.  A duvet filled only with eiderdown from
Skarð in Iceland is truly eco-friendly to its
core. In fact it is a unique fact that Royal
Eiderdown controls the full production chain,
starting with hand-picking the eiderdown and
ending with delivering a quality product to
the end customer.
 The eiderdown industry in Iceland inflicts no
harm at all to the local eco-system!

10.  Author is an economist and expert in the
eiderdown market.
 Contact details: hreggvidur.m@gmail.com
 Hreggviður St. Magnússon, Founder @ Royal
Eiderdown
 www.royaleiderdown.com