The Rochester Hills, Michigan-based CertiPUR-US program, administered by the nonprofit Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam Inc., has expanded its certification program to include molded flexible polyurethane foam, in addition to slabstock foam.
Molded foams are used in upholstered furniture and also can be found in some types of foam contour pillows.
Separate technical guidelines were established for molded foam producers during a recently launched one-year beta phase. Current program members, as well as a few molded foam producers, were invited to participate.
The technical guidelines for both slabstock and molded foam certifications include standards for content, emissions and durability, and require testing by independent, accredited laboratories. To be CertiPUR-US certified, polyurethane foam must be made without the following: ozone depleters; PBDE, TDCPP, TCEP and certain other flame retardants; formaldehyde; mercury, lead and other heavy metals; and prohibited phthalates regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Foams also must have low volatile organic compounds emissions.
“This natural extension of the CertiPUR-US program was driven by considerable demand from the industry to address consumer questions about the molded foam products in their homes,” said Mike Crowell, executive director of the CertiPUR-US program.
Currently, 31 foam producers in the United States and other countries participate in the CertiPUR-US program for slabstock foam. About 450 manufacturers, distributors and retailers sell products containing certified foams.
