A fresh alternative to foam mattresses

Jessica Koster, marketing manager for BiOH, is visiting today, sharing info on why and how Natura’s foam mattresses are a greener buying choice. In case you’re not in the know, Natura foam mattresses are made with soy to reduce our dependence on petroleum based products while providing a better night’s sleep.

Healthy soy for healthier sleep

Natura is all about transparency and offering responsible mattress choices. Natura’s use of Preserve™ foam made with soy-based BiOH^® polyols in their Green and Mixed Greens mattresses supported by their efforts to educate the industry through their blog are great examples of their leadership. And since soy foam and polyol are not words that most people use daily, we thought it would be helpful to share more information for those who want to learn more.

Traditional mattress foam is made by combining multiple petroleum-based chemicals – all from nonrenewable resources. BiOH polyols are an ingredient for foam that is made from a renewable resource (soybean oil) to replace a portion of the petroleum-based products. Today BiOH polyols cannot replace all of the petroleum chemicals in these products, but we are leading the industry. Considering that only a few years ago all of these foams were 100% petroleum-based, we think this is a significant step!

However, we’re not satisfied yet; the BiOH team is committed to developing new chemistries that create products with higher levels of soy content.

Soy Out performs traditional foams

Soy-based foams made with BiOH polyols perform like the petroleum-based foams you’re used to. In fact, the reason manufacturers can’t use more soy is because they want to ensure quality foam cushioning that will last.

Foams made with BiOH polyols have been used in upholstered furniture since 2005 so they’ve been thoroughly tested. Maybe you’re sitting on some right now!

A smaller environmental footprint

You get quality products while leaving a smaller environmental footprint. The BiOH polyols team is updating our life cycle data but an earlier preliminary life cycle analysis indicated that manufacturing BiOH polyols requires 60% less non-renewable energy and results in 36% less global warming emissions than manufacturing the petroleum polyols we replace.

Ror every 1 million lbs of BiOH polyols used, more than 2,200 barrels of crude oil are saved. Considering that the mattress industry in North America uses several hundred million pounds of petroleum polyols, BiOH polyols can have an impact on using less petroleum!

For more information on the soy ingredients used in Natura’s mattresses, please visit The BiOH Experience to learn more.