West Elm were the first home retailer to join Fair Trade USA™, back in 2014, and offer a range of Fair Trade Certified™ products including rugs, bedding, and furniture. By 2020, West Elm aim to only use GOTS certified cotton in their bedding, and they have consistently good eco-friendly practices and high ethical standards, including embracing newer social justice certifications such as Nest for their rugs.
West Elm Bed Sheets
Highlights: Linen sheets are highly breathable to help keep you cool in summer and warm in winter. The 400-Thread Count Organic Cotton Percale Sheet Set is great for everyday use but also feels like luxury hotel bedding. Company has consistently good eco-friendly practices and high ethical standards.
West Elm Bed Sheets at a glance:
| Country of Origin: | Made in India/China (for Cotton/Flax Linen) |
| Materials: | GOTS organic cotton / Belgian Flax |
| Certifications: | Fair Trade™ GOTS (cotton) |
Table of Contents
Overview
Currently, two of West Elm’s cotton bedding options are both Fair Trade Certified™ and certified GOTS organic, and two flax linen lines are Fair Trade Certified™.
West Elm’s Belgian Flax Linen sheets are available in three colors and in Twin, Full, Queen, King, and Cali King. This line includes items ranging in price from $36-$209 for pillowcases to full sheet sets comprising a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases.
West Elm’s linen sheets are made using fine Belgian flax and are put together in a Fair Trade Certified™ facility in China. The sheets are pre-washed for a lived-in look and have a crisp, natural texture that softens further with washing. They are highly breathable to help keep you cool in summer and warm in winter.
The Belgian Flax Linen fitted sheets fit mattresses up to 15 inches deep. These linen sheets should be machine washed cold on a gentle cycle and dried on a low setting after fluffing to release wrinkles. Remove promptly after drying and steam or iron on warm if you want a crisp, clean look, or lay flat for a more casual and relaxed look. Only use non-chlorine bleach with these sheets.
West Elm’s 400-Thread Count Organic Cotton Percale Sheet Set is certified GOTS organic and Fair Trade Certified™. This set is available in Twin/Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cali King, in two colors, and items range in price from $29-$111. These are the softest of West Elm’s sheets and have the highest thread count. They’re great for everyday use but also feel like luxury hotel bedding. The Twin XL sheet set has a longer fitted sheet to accommodate both standard twin and twin XL dorm mattresses and fitted sheets can fit mattresses up to 16 inches deep. These sheets are made in India and can be monogrammed. Machine wash warm and tumble dry, using a warm iron if necessary. Only use non-chlorine bleach.
West Elm’s Organic Cotton Frayed-Edge Sheet Set includes items ranging in price from $9.99-$89, all of which are Fair Trade Certified™ and certified GOTS organic. These items can all be monogrammed and are made in India with 100% organic cotton percale with subtly frayed edges of delicate voile. They have a 200-Thread Count and the sheet set includes a flat sheet, fitted sheet and two pillowcases (one with Twin/Twin XL set). The Twin XL sheeting has a longer fitted sheet to accommodate both standard twin and twin XL dorm mattresses.
West Elm vs. Rawganique, Coyuchi, and Holy Lamb Organics
West Elm have a solid reputation for making top quality bedding and are on track to only use GOTS certified organic cotton in all their bedding by 2020. They have long been Fair Trade Certified and are an industry leader for sound eco-friendly practices. Plus, their sheets are lovely! So, if you’re looking for beautifully made organic cotton sheets that offer luxury hotel quality without the luxury price, West Elm are a great option. They’re a little pricier than Sleep and Beyond (View Price on Sleep & Beyond), but easier to track down at high street retailers than Rawganique, Coyuchi, and Holy Lamb Organics.
West Elm also offer excellent flax linen sheets that are a little less expensive than those available from Rawganique and Coyuchi. However, Coyuchi have a longer history of commitment to environmental sustainability and product safety, and their linen sheets (View Price on Amazon), as well as Rawganique’s (View Prices on Rawganique), are organic, unlike West Elm’s. Both Coyuchi and West Elm use European flax (French and Belgian respectively) to make their flax linen sheets in India and China, respectively; Rawganique and Holy Lamb Organics make their sheets mostly in the US.
West Elm also seem to lack a specific charitable arm to the company, whereas Coyuchi donate 5% of profits to charitable initiatives.
West Elm linen sheets have been a serious disappointment.
I first bought a sheet set in late 2014 or early 2015. The bottom sheet wore through within a year. The company did replace it. I put the date on the tag, 2016.
They are now thinner than gauze, and have holes through them. Granted, this is 2022, so they lasted six years. But given that we have other linen sheets that are ten years old and perfectly serviceable, and that our cotton denim sheets lasted 14 years, and there are plenty of sheets around from the 60s and 70s, this just isn’t quality, given the price of these sheets. I won’t bother with West Elm again.