Many companies have come out with green sofas in the past year, Crate and Barrel, CB2, Room and Board, Pottery Barn, to name a few. So just how healthy are the sofas? The sofas are made from FSC certified, kiln dried hardwood frames and the cushions are soy-based poly foam. Does this mean that the sofas are healthy?
Some of the problems with the sofas are:
1. Many of these woods are still glued in the joints with toxic glues
2. The sofa upholstery is often not an organic fabric. The fabrics can contain heavy metals, dangerous stain resistant chemicals and dyes. These particles can easily find their way into your nose, mouth and lungs.
3. Even if they are claiming organic upholstery the sofas are often made in factories where their conventional sofas are made, allowing for cross contamination. This is especially a problem when the fabrics they use for their conventional sofas have been treated or are treated in the same space.
4. Soy-based foam only means that the foam was produced using a little less petroleum in the creation of the foam. Often only 10% to 20% soy product goes into the creation of the foam. The only reason that they do not use more is cause it smells. Hmm. This is not sounding too good! And this does not even get into the fact that the rise in soy as an alternative fuel has been contributed to rising food prices as well as clear cutting of forests in the Amazon.
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