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From Home Furnishing Business
NCFI Unveils 1st USDA BioPreferred Memory Foam Mattress
February 4,
2020 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Boxed bed and foam manufacturer NCFI has unveiled its BioLux Mattress, the first memory foam mattress to be certified under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred Program as a bio-based product.
The BioLux is designed using proprietary foams that are also certified under the program as being developed and manufactured from plants and other renewable materials.
The USDA’s BioPreferred Program identifies products that are derived from plants and other renewable agriculture, marine and forestry materials. Under the program, companies apply for certification, which requires independent, third-party verification of the amount of bio-based content in a product.
“We’ve been dedicated to utilizing renewable technology for a long time and being the first to bring a BioPreferred mattress to the marketplace is the crowning achievement for us in the realm of environmental stewardship,” said Chris Bradley, executive vice president of NCFI’s consumer products division. “This is a culmination of many years of research by our talented development team. This is only the beginning of NCFI pushing the envelope on developing renewable consumer products.”
NCFI’s 11-inch BioLux Mattress, priced to retail at $1,999, is crafted with two foam layers – an eight-inch foam base topped with a three-inch layer of NCFI’s four-pound memory foam. Both layers are certified under the BioPreferred program. The mattress is dressed in a zippered cover made of fine organic cotton.
The BioLux Mattress is the fifth, and most recent product developed by NCFI utilizing renewable technology. NCFI products have been recognized in a variety of ways by the BioPreferred committee since 2012. In addition, NCFI was honored at a 2014 White House ceremony for its development and implementation of low hydro-fluorocarbon manufacturing across its polyurethane foam platforms. On an international stage, NCFI has also been recognized with the Montreal Protocol Award from the EPA for its efforts in environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, that negate harmful effects to the ozone layer.
The certification allows NCFI to use the USDA Certified Biobased Product label on the BioLux Mattress helping consumers verify the mattress is made with bio-based ingredients. The USDA program, founded in 2002 and expanded in 2014, covers more than 139 product categories including home furnishings.