Polyurethane Foam Association Discusses Key Issues

More than 120 executives gathered for the Polyurethane Foam Association member meeting Nov. 2-4, 2016, in San Antonio for in-depth discussions of industry issues, including technical advancements, regulatory action and industry education.

The Loudon, Tennessee-based association’s fall gathering brought together foam manufacturers, chemical suppliers and other companies supporting the flexible polyurethane foam industry. 

“We were able to show solid progress at this meeting for our industry in many key issues,” said Bill Gollnitz, outgoing Polyurethane Foam Association president. “These meetings give our members the opportunity to become informed about the topics that may affect their businesses in the coming months—and to understand what they can do to help address them.”

The flexible polyurethane foam industry faces significant communications and educational challenges on issues as diverse as fire safety, environmental stewardship and plant safety, Gollnitz said. “We were able to demonstrate to our members how working together as an association has helped all of them.”

He added that PFA works to build coalitions with other industry groups, plus ones that may seem like unlikely collaborators, such as firefighters and environmental organizations. This allows the flexible foam industry to get its positions heard in a credible manner and supported with science and statistics.

According to a news release, the association’s actions in 2016 helped keep a critical furniture fire safety standard in place at the ASTM International; worked to prevent inappropriate, broad legislation affecting upholstered furniture from being enacted in several states; and educated stakeholder groups by authoring papers about the recycling and the recyclability of flexible foam, among other projects.

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