How Green is Your Sofa?
Monday, January 2nd, 2012Well, if you’ve had your sofa for any amount of time the probable answer is that your sofa isn’t very green.
The worst component on a sofa for not being green is the filling used to make sofa cushions. The vast majority are filled with polyurethane foam – which is a petrol-based product. So, for a start, that’s not very environmentally friendly as it’s a fossil fuel of which we only have a finite supply.
Added to this, it’s also highly flammable, so most sofa cushions are coated with flame retardants that are made with toxic chemicals. These used to be PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), but these are gradually being phased out because of their toxicity. In Europe PBDEs have been banned since 2004, and they are also being phased out in the US.
Studies have shown that PBDEs are found in house dust and indoor air, and that the contamination is greater in homes than in the air outside. The probability is that PBDEs migrate into the household air from the furniture. In lab tests, animals exposed to PBDEs showed memory and learning deficits, and PBDEs have also been linked to thyroid defects. In short, PBDEs aren’t good news.
The trouble is that polyurethane foam is the cheapest option for sofa cushions, so when you buy cheap furniture that’s what will be inside any soft furnishings. To make a greener choice, you have to spend more, particularly with fabric sofas. A better environmental option for sofa cushions is to opt for natural latex foam filled cushions.
Natural latex is sourced from rubber trees and has the added bonus of being mould and mildew resistant, as well as repelling house dust mites, so it’s great for allergy sufferers. You will have to pay more for it though, as rubber trees are relatively scarce.
This article was contributed by Celia Roche on behalf of http://www.harveysfurniture.co.uk/