A non-toxic sofa buyer’s guide to fillings
Upholstered furniture hasn’t changed much over the centuries; though a brief look at the styles in your local furniture store might make you skeptical of that claim. To be more specific — the upholstery techniques used in furniture have not changed much since upholstery started to become quite popular and available over 400 years ago. Frames, springs, and fabric covering techniques look mostly identical now to antique pieces. Filling materials, on the other hand, have changed a lot.
Before 1900, sofas and chairs were filled with straw, horse and hog hair, and moss. The benefits of these were that they provided cushioning, compared to the solid wooden furniture people were used to. And when the cost for furniture was so astronomically high that pieces of furniture needed to be passed on from generation to generation, it was particularly important for these filling materials to last many decades to centuries. Even now, old heirloom pieces that undergo reupholstery to replace worn fabrics will often reuse the horsehair and straw filling, because a century later, it still has its shape and moisture.
COLONIZATION AND THE RISE OF RUBBER
Then, colonization of the eastern world provided the west with access to new natural resources. Among these was the sap from Hevea brasiliensis, commonly known as the rubber tree. Latex is the word we use to describe the sap that comes from rubber trees, and with the west’s discovery of latex, upholstery fillings changed. Latex had the benefit of being easy to use in its final form; it could just be cut out of blocks into whatever shape needed padding. As a renewable resource, it was less time and resource intensive than raising animals for upholstery hairs, and use of latex was novel and widespread across all industries. An article for National Geographic in February of 1940 described rubber as the “most versatile vegetable product”, and it quickly became the standard for use in tires, swimsuits, erasers, and of course, sofas.
Latex still has quite a long lifespan, in the realm of decades when used in upholstery; and its relative elasticity allowed for a lot of creativity when it came to upholstered design.
PLASTIC TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM
Then in the 50s, plastic was suddenly introduced as the much cheaper alternative to almost every material. Polyurethane entered use as a cushioning material because of its amazingly low cost: synthetic plastics like polyurethane could be produced at a fraction of the cost of naturally-derived latex. Besides economic motivators, polyfoam can be produced at varying densities and is relatively easy to work with, requiring very little to no additional cushioning.
A DANGER FOR FIRE
One of the surprising, or maybe not so surprising, byproducts of filling upholstered pieces with petroleum-based plastics like polyfoam is the danger they pose to homes in a fire. “Polyurethane foam is so flammable that it’s often referred to by fire marshals as ‘solid gasoline.’ When untreated foam is ignited, it burns extremely fast. Ignited polyurethane foam sofas can reach temperatures over 1400 degrees Fahrenheit within minutes,” shares Patty and Leigh Anne of Two Sisters EcoTextiles.
If a polyfoam sofa is at the center of your housefire, the response time a firetruck has to get to your home isn’t enough anymore to get flames under control before they spread, and the likelihood of survival for you and your family drops dramatically.
A DANGER TO WORKERS
Worse yet, the process of producing plastics like polyurethane is a much more toxic one to workers than latex production, and has been criticized by the EPA and OSHA for exposing workers to carcinogenic substances.
A 2013 article by the New York Times found that workers manufacturing polyurethane pillows in the US were suffering from severe nerve damage thanks to glues that had been used — nerve damage that led workers to lose feeling in their limbs, unable to walk. Even now, OSHA has limited ability to enforce regulations made to protect US workers from the chemical poisoning of polyurethane manufacturing.
A DANGER TO HOMES
While production of polyfoams has been shown to be toxic to workers, consumer worries lie in the safety of post-production polyfoam. Polyurethane continues to show toxic effects even post-production on household air quality. While straw and horsehair underwent almost no change in quality even after over a hundred years, polyfoams change density in a matter of years, becoming lighter as they break down and catch a ride on dust particles in the air.
As Len Laycock, CEO of Upholstery Arts, explains, “since most people spend a majority of their time indoors, there is ample opportunity for frequent and prolonged exposure to the dust and its load of contaminants. [Even] if the dust doesn’t get you, research also indicates that toluene, a known neurotoxin, off gases from polyurethane foam products.”
EVALUATING THE SOY ALTERNATIVE
Recently, soy foams have entered the market as a green alternative to polyurethane foams. What they don’t mention is the fact that polyurethane still makes up more than 50% of this product. The idea is that by minimizing our dependence on petroleum-derived plastics by reducing the ratio of poly in the foam, the carbon footprint of this foam decreases. But in some soy foams, soy actually makes up less than 5% of the cushion — and there’s no regulatory incentive to disclose these percentages.
Buying soy foam doesn’t address the concerns of flammability, when there’s enough poly to burn your living room to a crisp. It doesn’t address the breakdown of materials into dust that inhabits your home and gets into your lungs, and subsequently bloodstream. It doesn’t go far enough when it comes to decreasing use of petroleum. And it raises serious concerns over the cultivation of soy.
Increased focus on soy production in South America has been a serious cause of deforestation, species endangerment, and social policy concern as indigenous groups are chased out of ancestral homes, or exploited for labor.
WEIGHING THE OPTIONS
Polyfoams are still the primary filling in sofas being produced today. Production of polyfoams is dangerous, and polyfoams themselves provide a serious risk to your health and home. Despite all of this, polyfoams dominate because they are cheap. When you pay less than $2k for a full-sized sofa, you’re getting that price because plastics are cheap to produce, and cheap sofas sell. But if reading all of the hazards of polyurethane has convinced you, consider turning back the clock and getting a piece made with organic naturally-derived latex. Not only does this send a message to furniture manufacturers that dangerous and unsustainable materials aren’t welcome, it provides you with a piece that is of higher quality and more durable than the alternatives.
Like what you found? Read Part Three, on choosing Safe Fabrics for your family.
Did you miss the last one? Read Part One, on evaluating the frame in your next non-toxic sofa.
EcoBalanza is a modern artisan maker of upholstered furniture, specializing in old-world techniques and the use of certified organic, natural and recycled materials for a healthy home. As a mission-based company, our goal is always to increase the safety and health of our communities and to help provide education around the importance of materials, and their effects on sustainability. You can find out more about us at EcoBalanza.com, or email us at contactus@ecobalanza.com
