SSA Launches Safety, Environmental Seal Program

July 26, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on July 27, 2010

The Specialty Sleep Association is a launching a mattress Safety & Environmental Program to better educate consumers on components in the sleep products they buy.

After more than a year of research and industry involvement, SSA has created a two-step label and seal that will appear on mattresses from manufacturers who join the program that informs the consumer about the minimum environmental and safety compliance levels the particular product adheres to, along with a label that lists components in the mattress.

Manufacturers in the program pay a fee to the SSA to use the label and seal, and complete an extensive application process with documentation that backs up claims. Consumers wanting further information beyond the seal and label will be able to go the SSA's Web site for more detailed information and can contact the organization if they wish to learn more about a specific manufacturerís component filing.

To display the Level I seal, a manufacturer must meet all federal safety flammability requirements; provide a warrantee for the product; meet all safety requirements for childrenís products if applicable; disclose material construction with a descriptive label content; participate in an annual survey to identify carbon footprint issues and has committed to continuous improvement; and meet standards set by the Montreal Protocol Act when applicable, for reduction or elimination of ozone depleting substances.

For the Level II seal, a manufacturer would have to meet all the requirements of the first threshold and in addition: meet California Section 1350 testing for low VOC emissions and validate that the mattress' textile covering contains no harmful substances.

Several manufacturers already have signed onto the program and plan to show mattresses in compliance with the program at next week's Summer Las Vegas Furniture Market. A leading industry supplier has provided the preliminary funding to launch a consumer education program through the enhancement of the current SSA Web site and a new social networking initiative that will launch when the first mattresses are expected to hit retailer's floors.

"Purchasing safe and environmentally friendly products is an overwhelming concern of consumers," said SSA President Dale Read. "The SEP program represents the best way to finally deliver a clear message, through a revolutionary new label and education program, that the bedding industry is listening to that concern. The SSA is proud to have taken a leadership role in this important task of creating clarity in defining the broad terms being used to define environmentally friendly products as part of our ongoing mission to promote natural, healthier and safer sleep solutions for consumers.

"The SEP program is all about transparency and education. It represents a unification of suppliers, manufacturers and retailers around a set of environmental terms and definitions that will reduce confusion and bolster sales to consumers anxious to purchase environmentally friendly products."

SEP is the result of the SSA's "Green Initiative," which brought together 15 leading manufacturers, suppliers and retailers who studied and debated how the industry represented various environmental terms like ìgreenî and ìnaturalî to consumers. The group conducted a major study of consumers and retail sales associates to provide input, as well as looking at numerous certification programs and standards currently in use around the world. The process culminated in a comprehensive report delivered to industry leaders earlier this year.