Mattresses, like gabions, are wire fabric containers, uniformly partitioned, of variable size, interconnected with other similar containers and filled with stone at the site of use, to form flexible, permeable, monolithic structures such as retaining walls, sea walls, channel linings, revetments and weirs for earth retention. 

Gabions and mattresses will revegetate over time as the structure collects soil and the airborne or waterborne seeds of locally occurring plantlife. This spontaneous growth will create a very natural environment and will increase the efficiency of a gabion structure as the plants enhance the soil stability. It may be desireable to foster the growth of a particular plant species and/or hasten the natural process of vegetation. In this case, Ecomattresses are the ideal solution. Standard gabion mattresses fitted with a geotextile liner are filled with graded stone; the stone fill is then saturated with a quality soil medium - this may or may not be seeded. A natural fiber mat is placed across the top and then the mesh lid is attached to hold it in place. If the Ecomattress is not seeded, it would be planted with small seedlings through the fiber mat.