Perry: 'Green' needs to be more clearly defined
Producers' and suppliers' comment
Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, December 1, 2008
SAN ANTONIO — More bedding producers and suppliers are emphasizing “green” mattresses as the eco-friendly movement gains ground, Furniture/Today's David Perry said in an address during the Polyurethanes 2008 Technical Conference here.
Perry, the newspaper's mattress writer, joined a panel discussion on green marketing trends sponsored by Dow. That issue session, and the question-and-answer period that followed, occupied most of the afternoon session on the opening day of the conference.
“Smart Business, Smart Marketing: Green Goes Mainstream” was the title of the session, one that Perry challenged in his talk. He noted that while green issues are becoming more important in the mattress arena, the industry is strongly divided on the topic. A number of mattress industry leaders have questions about the long-term viability of green products, while others assert that green is a direction that cannot be denied, Perry said.
He provided an overview of producers' and suppliers' green offerings, commenting that Simmons has the broadest green program of any major bedding producer. Perry cited Simmons' use of green marketing guru Danny Seo and its Natural Care line as examples of that company's commitment to green initiatives.
He also singled out eco-friendly offerings by Spring Air, Englander and Martha Stewart, as well as green initiatives at Hickory Springs and Foamex.
But, Perry said, a major industry challenge is the lack of widely accepted standards on what constitutes a green mattress. “How much soy foam must a mattress contain to be a green mattress?” he asked. “How much natural latex must a mattress contain to be a natural latex mattress?” It is easy, Perry noted, to label a mattress as being green.
In that climate of confusion, producers and suppliers have an opportunity to stand out with strong marketing programs, according to Perry. “Concern with green issues will become more prevalent,” he said. “There will be more real green mattresses. There will be 'shades of green.' And discerning consumers will seek out green mattresses.”
