Unger set a wise example on mattress flammability
David Perry, Executive Editor -- Furniture Today, March 13, 2006
In the fall of 2002, I asked my mentor Roy Unger about a topic that only recently had come onto my radar screen: mattress flammability. I hadn't yet formulated my own views on the issue, and I was curious to see what Roy would say. "The industry's base will be higher," he told me. "People will pay more for bedding. In the final analysis, it will be a benefit."
He also predicted the addition of fire-resistant materials would boost the industry's flagship brands because it would reduce the price gap between promotional models and the beginning of the flagship lines.
What is striking about that conversation, as I reflect on it more than three years later, is what Roy didn't say. He didn't bring up any negatives about adding open-flame protection to mattresses.
I've heard plenty of negatives since, from bedding producers and even some retailers. I've been told the 300 or so people who die in mattress and bedding fires each year isn't very large, given the number of people who live in the United States. And I've been told, repeatedly, why it's a bad idea to use safety as a marketing message.
I've also heard various reasons why some producers don't plan to introduce open-flame protection nationally until shortly before federal legislation mandates it.
As I've listened to those comments, I've lamented the fact that we don't have more Roy Ungers in the bedding industry these days. Roy, as we all know, died in August 2004 at 83. We can honor him by following the example he set on mattress flammability. From the outset, Roy saw it as an opportunity, not a problem.
As the industry gathers this week in San Antonio for the International Sleep Products Assn. Expo, it's a good time to remember Unger. He was always a big supporter of ISPA events, and attending ISPA shows gave me a chance to meet with Roy, usually over dinner, for an insightful evening of bedding commentary.
His comments on flammability that I quoted above came from an interview at ISPA's 2002 Industry Conference, where my FR education began.
A lot has happened since then. The industry has worked with California and with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to help develop sound flammability standards. California implemented its FR mattress law last year and a federal standard will go into effect in July of next year.
It isn't helpful that some still find fault with flammability regulations. Roy Unger, a visionary leader, saw the positives long ago. Let's all follow his wise example.
Contact David Perry at dperry@reedbusiness.com
