March 28, 2008
Soy Memory Foam Mattress Eco Friendly?
At the end of their useful life, mattresses go into landfills. They are big, so they take up a lot of space. They have a large “footprint” or environmental impact.
Traditional memory foam mattresses, while being the most comfortable sleep surface, are made from non-renewable petro-chemicals (fossil fuels). Their impact on the environment is problematic because fossil fuels are being removed from the environment at a rapid rate, and once gone, they cannot be replaced. Also, polyurethane products take a very long time to decompose in landfills.
Knowing this, foam makers are searching for alternatives to polyurethane foam. One such product is a soy polyol used in making a mixed soy / polyurethane foam. The percentage of soy used ranges from 5% to 50% soy.
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, soy polyols have only one-quarter the level of total environmental impact of petroleum-based foam. Using soy as an ingredient in foam is definitely a step in the right direction. But is a 5% soy 95% polyurethane mattress environmentally friendly?
Many mattresses makers are using a 5% soy memory foam in their mattress and labeling it as “eco-friendly.” 5% soy is a nominal amount and does not have a significant environmental impact. However a 30% or more soy mix will have a positive effect on the environment and does deserve the Green Choice accolade.
Magniflex, an Italian mattress maker has made a truly eco friendly product, the 10" Mais Prestige memory foam mattress. The Mais Presitige is part of the GeoEthic Collection from Magniflex. GeoMemory memory foam and Ecogreen base foam replace traditional petroleum-based visco-elastic foam with 50% eco-friendly, natural castor oil and aloe vera water-based foam.
Filed under Mattress, Memory Foam by admin
Comments on Soy Memory Foam Mattress Eco Friendly? »
Are Soy-Based Foam Mattresses All That They Are Cracked Up To Be? | Futon-Furniture @ 12:50 pm
[…] to a My Luxury Mattress Blog regarding this issue, most mattress manufacturers only feature between 5% to 50% soy foam. Most of […]
Niko @ 10:09 am
Any feedback on an Italian company called Perdormire? They claim their Genesi mattress is made of soy.
http://www.perdormire.com/sleepingstore08/genesi.htm
SUZANNE @ 5:52 pm
Actually most foam manufactures are replacing poloy in polyurethane foam up to 50% with soybean oil. Clearly any reduction in the use of petroleum produces is good for you and good for the planet.We use flexible foam soybean oil foams and love them and so does our customers.
Carolyn @ 3:20 pm
Dear All,
I'm an environmentalist so I'm interested in protecting the earth. I also have severe dust allergies and I am chemically sensitive. I've been trying to find a bed that will help my health significantly as a first priority. I had a reaction to a Sleepy's bed that contained about 50% polyurethane foam and 50% latex. My doctor advised against polyurethane. I will have negative health effects if I am put into a bed made with toxins, so health has to be my first priority over environmental concerns. (While I will consider them as well.)
Sleepy's is featuring a soy bed from Spaldin. I've gone to see it. While it is featured as environmentally friendly, its label indicates that it is made from Polyurethane.
When I pointed this out to the buyer for sleepys, he told me that the oil used is 100% from soybeans and that this oil differs from the synthetic polyurethane. He said that the manufacturing process is 50% synthetic and 50% more natural. I think he is sincere, but may have been fooled himself.
Is there a soy polyurethane v. a synthetic polyurethane or is he just pulling my leg?
Help needed immediately. Am sleeping on my couch.
Carolyn
Pat @ 6:41 pm
Memory foam is poison, no matter what it's mixed with. Your immune system will suffer. Want an all-natural mattress with no dust mites? Buy latex rubber that isn't chemically sprayed. It's expensive but lasts for decades. Get the pillows too. You'll thank yourself everyday.
Spongy @ 11:08 pm
We are thinking of buying a green mattress as well and had seen the Spaldin mattress at Sleepy's. Does anyone know anything else about it? We've searched the internet and did not find any reviews about it. Their website did not mention anything about polyurethane or fire retardants in their products only how natural it is. Does anyone else know otherwise?