Are you in the market for upholstered furniture? Whether you’re starting from scratch in a new home, updating a room or just replacing a worn sofa or chair, there are many factors to consider before you make this important investment and choose upholstered furniture.
But here’s something you may not have considered: how your upholstered furniture affects your indoor air quality. In fact, if you’ve owned a sofa or chair for eight or more years, the foam inside likely is not CertiPUR-US®-certified—which means it has not undergone rigorous testing to ensure it meets the latest standards for content, emissions and durability.
Internationally Recognized Standard
CertiPUR-US is an internationally recognized foam certification program that was established in 2008 to combat imported substandard foams. Some of these substandard foams contained substances that had been banned in the U.S. or were listed by environmental and regulatory groups as containing chemicals that may cause cancer, may cause genetic defects or may damage fertility or the unborn child. Our Technical Guidelines is a living document, updated frequently based on evidence-based, good science.
What CertiPUR-US Certification Means
When you buy products containing CertiPUR-US®-certified foam, you can be confident that the flexible polyurethane foam inside has been analyzed by independent, accredited laboratories and is:
- Made without ozone depleters
- Made without PBDEs or the following Tris flame retardants: TCEP, TDBPP, TDCPP or TEPA
- Made without mercury, lead and heavy metals
- Made without formaldehyde
- Made without phthalates regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 parts per million)
Although CertiPUR-US®-certified products may contain a special hangtag or label bearing the CertiPUR-US® logo, companies are not required to label their products or packaging. Our list of companies and brands containing certified foam is updated weekly so it’s a good idea to check the list before you choose upholstered furniture.
If You’re Not Sure the Foam Is Certified
Occasionally, a company is legitimately using certified foam but hasn’t taken the necessary steps to complete registration. If you contact us at info@certipur.us with details, we can research that for you and notify the company about the registration process. Remember, if the company or brand is not listed on our website, we cannot know if the foam is certified.