Dow Teams with SSA

December 5, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on December 6, 2010

Dow Chemical's polyurethanes business unit is now lead sponsor of the Specialty Sleep Association's environmental and safety program.

Dow's support helps enable the development of a new SSA consumer education section on its Web site, a training module for retail sales associates, and the creation of a social networking platform all designed to give greater guidance and advice to consumers on buying environmentally friendly sleep products.

"Dow Polyurethanes demonstrates its commitment to the bedding industry by offering innovative technologies and supporting leading efforts to develop standards for sustainability and consumer education," said Umberto Torresan, North American market manager for Dow Polyurethanes, Friant, Calif. "The SSA's new environmental program is one of the key initiatives helping consumers better understand the composition of the products they are buying and their impact on our environment."

SSA President Dale Read said the Dow sponsorship is an important step in the consumer education portion of the group's program.

"Over the past several months, we have been working closely with a number of manufacturers who are beginning to use our seals, and retailers who have expressed interest in making sure their suppliers are a part of our program," Read said. "Dow's funding enables us now to focus on the critical part of the program that is directed toward educating the consumer."

Read said the additions to the SSA Web site already are underway, and that the retail sales associate training program and the social networking platforms would be complete in the next 60 days.
 
SSA's environmental seal program offers three progressive levels of environmental and safe levels that manufacturers can attain. For each level there is a seal affixed to the mattress that explains what standards have been met, and a label in which the manufacturer lists the ingredients inside the mattress.

Boyd Specialty Sleep and Natura World are the first two national manufacturers to join onto the program. Nearly a dozen more manufacturers are in the application process to adopt the new program for their brands.