Posted by Nicole, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on August 13, 2010
I am soy excited to share with you that Target Home® brand memory foam pillows with BiOH® polyols will be available for purchase at over 50 selected Target® retail locations nationwide while supplies last. Whether you are a parent, student, mother or significant other, you can rest easy knowing that you have the choice of a more renewable pillow.
We have hit the bull’s-eye with this incredible opportunity to bring BiOH® polyols into bedrooms all across America. Stock up on soy and look for the logo when you’re browsing the bedding aisles of this trendy retailer (that is if you can make it past the $1 bins, which I frequent). If you can’t find what you’re looking for, I’m sure a friendly team member in red will be more than happy to help you. Hurry in today because each selected store has a limited quantity and this offer is while supplies last!
Here are the details:
Look for the BiOH® polyols label
Memory Foam Supreme Contour Pillowby Target Home™
Open cell memory foam maintains comfortable sleeping temperatures, contour design conforms to support your head and neck and has a soft velour removable cover.
Price: $19.99
SKU DPCI 62/5/56
Memory FoamDeluxe Bed Pillow by Target Home™
Temperature- sensitive memory foam is ventilated for cooler sleeping, molded design is perfect for all sleeping positions and has a removable cover for easy wash and care.
Price: $27.99
SKU DPCI 62/5/57
Here’s where you can find pillows made with BiOH® polyols in the aisle
To find a Target store that carries pillows made with BiOH® polyols near you check out our handy Store Locator.
Everyone has the ability to make a difference by purchasing products that leave a smaller environmental footprint. By buying these products at Target you can feel good about your choice to rest renewable. Hurry in today! This exclusive opportunity is while supplies last!
Posted by Jenny, BiOH Polyols Marketing Assistant on June 16, 2010
Interior designer Gloria Battista Collins, who sent us the video below, is a key proponent of this new movement.
Slow Home means being mindful and knowledgeable about the furniture you purchase for your home and the impact on the environment of the materials that are used to make it. It means buying the best furniture you can afford so that it will last and not end up in a landfill. It means slowing down to appreciate and remember the memories that accrue to each well-loved piece you own.
Thank you, Gloria, for using furniture made by TLSbyDesign, an Indiana based manufacturer, who uses foam made with BiOH’s soy ingredient in each piece.
But, especially, thank you for sending us this beautifully produced and unsolicited video of your slow home living room to share with our readers. We wish you and your family many years of happy memories there.
Posted by Jenny, BiOH Polyols Marketing Assistant on June 7, 2010
Congratulations to Tiffany Bradley for winning our Bed Head is Soy Stylish photo contest! Her “Morning Me… Bleh!!!” bed head photo garnered the most public votes and was also the favorite among our judges. The Bed Head is Soy Stylish contest is a partnership with Serta® Mattress and the 2010 HGTV Green Home. Tiffany will receive a top of the line, queen size mattress set from the new collection of HGTV Green Home mattress collection by Serta® shipped directly to her home!
Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest! To see all entries and the runners-up, please view our slideshow below:
Posted by Jessica, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on May 10, 2010
Jump for Soy! At the April 2010 High Point Market, LEE Industries introduced a new cushion option in their upholstered leather collection that is made with >30% soy content in the foam - the highest renewable content currently offered in the industry!
Two chairs from LEE's Leather Collection in their High Point Showroom
The cushions are made with Bio-Lux™ Max technology from NCFI Polyurethanes where 50% of the foam’s petroleum-based polyol is replaced with BiOH® Polyols. NCFI has been using BiOH technology in their foams since 2006 and continues to explore ways to add more renewable content to their foam products.
LEE has a long history of embracing sustainable processes and materials. In fact, they were the first manufacturer to adopt soy-based foams made with BiOH® Polyols back in 2006. Additionally, they are founding members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council. We shared some fun facts about LEE Industries in a previous blog post - including their extensive fabric and leather options! You can contact LEE directly to inquire about their furniture and/or new cushion options.
LEE's leather collection featured a new cushion option with Bio-Lux Max Technology
Hats off to LEE Industries and NCFI for embracing the soy story and taking the lead in ”raising the bar” around renewable, soy content in foams! As BiOH® Polyols are incorporated at higher levels across the industry, the positive environmental impacts and petroleum savings can continue to increase. Every additional percentage of soy embraced by manufacturers along with each individual furniture or mattress purchase decision adds up!
PS – For those that would like to learn more about Bio-Lux™ Max foam made with >30% soy content, contact NCFI around supply and performance questions.
Posted by Jessica, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on May 3, 2010
It’s official! Today kicks off our “Bed Head is Soy Stylish” contest in partnership with Serta® Mattress and the 2010 HGTV Green Home. We’re celebrating the new HGTV Green Home mattress collection by Serta®featured in the design home this year. The Grand Prize winner in our “Bed Head is Soy Stylish” photo contest will receive a top of the line, Queen Size mattress set from this new collection shipped directly to your home! You can enter today from the BiOH Facebook page and clicking on the “Contests” tab to view the contest application shown below.
Here are the contest details!
Phase 1 (May 3- 28) – Submit Your Photo Entry: Get your cameras and get creative! It’s fun and easy to participate – just submit a photo of a family member, a friend, a pet, or yourself with crazy Bed Head – you know, they type of hair you have in the morning after going to bed with wet hair or after a lot of tossing and turning. (Limit of one entry per individual.)
Phase 2 (May 29- June 4) – Public Voting: This is your chance to lobby your family and friends to vote for your photo! The top five entries with the highest number of votes will be selected as finalists!
Phase 3 (June 4) – Judging: Judges will include a three member panel with representatives from BiOH, Serta® and HGTV. One Grand Prize Winner will be selected from among the five Finalists based on the following criteria: creativity (50%) and originality (50%).
Phase 4 (June 4) – Winners Announced: Winners will be announced the afternoon of June 4! The Grand Prize winner will receive a queen mattress set from the HGTV Green Home Collection, and the four Runners Up will receive $100 iTunes gift cards.
Here’s Jessica Koster, Marketing Manager for the BiOH Polyols business talking about the contest…with her Saturday morning Bed Head!
We can’t wait to see the photos you submit. Maybe you’ll want to go to bed with your hair wet. Or maybe you can try to some new hair styling products before bed. Whatever you do…. we hope you’ll spread the word to your friends and have fun! Good luck!
Posted by Jessica, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on March 24, 2010
Did you know that you might be sitting on soy while waiting for your next flight? Arconas became the first airport-seating manufacturer to incorporate soy-based BiOH® polyols from Cargill in late 2009. Arconas is a global leader in airport seating, servicing some of the world’s largest airports such as Boston Logan, Dallas/Fort Worth, JFK, Hong Kong, La Guardia, Lisbon, and Orlando, among others.
So where will you be able to sit on soy? Arconas seating with BiOH polyols is coming soon to these airports:
Los Angeles International Airport, CA
Raleigh-Durham International Airport, NC
Winnipeg International Airport, MB
Des Moines International Airport, IA
Newport News International Airport, VA
Calgary Executive Flight Center, AB
San Antonio International Airport, TX
Flyaway Seating from Arconas
This week the Arconas team is highlighting their innovative products – including those containing soy foam with BiOH Polyols - at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Brussels, Belgium. Among other things, visitors to their booth may receive a reusable shopping bag crafted by Arconas from 100% recycled textiles as shown in the picture below!
These reusable shopping bags from Arconas made from 100% recycled textiles will be handed out during the Passenger Terminal Expo.
You can keep up with Arconas and their innovative products on Facebook, Twitter: @Arconas, or their You Tube channel. And next time you’re at the airport… consider if you might be sitting on a soy innovation while waiting for your flight!
Posted by Jessica, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on October 21, 2009
I’m finally catching my breath from the whirlwind that surrounded the Experience Soy Style: Be in the KnOH! event on October 10… and wanted to share some highlights with those of you who could not attend! First of all, a BIG thanks to Room & Board for hosting the event in their Edina, MN store and for their flexibility in adjusting their retail space to showcase the MCAD student exhibits.
The winning MCAD student exhibitors – Nick Kriegler, Stephanie Polus, and Ruth Sauvageau – did a fabulous job designing exhibits that fit with the Room & Board brand experience and told the BiOH® story from soybean to sofa. I think they were happy to receive their $5000 cash prize too!
MCAD students receiving their $5000 prize from BiOH team
The Journey Starts with a Tiny Soybean
As guests entered the store, they were invited to start in the farming section where the soybean story begins. The students had been growing soybean plants for the past few months and the potted plants were spread throughout the showroom. Banners outlining the history of soybean farming were displayed along with a video highlighting images of “life on the farm.” Check out some of the exhibits through the images below…
MCAD Student Exhibitors in the Soybean Exhibits
Soybean Plants in Pots Built by MCAD Students
An Image Shown in the "Life on the Farm" Video
From Soybean to Foam Cushions
Next guests were invited to learn how soybeans are turned into BiOH polyols used to make foam. Several banners outlined the story of how soybeans are crushed into meal and soybean oil. The soybean oil is then processed and used as the primary raw material to make BiOH polyols. The students captured videos of how foam is made to show guests. Visitors were even able to test foam properties by conducting a simple “ball rebound” test on three different types of foam.
Banners Educating on Soybeans to Foam
Furniture is the Star
Next guests were invited to learn about furniture history and craftsmanship through an interactive exhibit. There was a section specifically on sustainable furnishings that highlighted some sustainble features like certified woods, soy foams with BiOH polyols, responsible fabrics, and more. See an overview of the interactive exhibit below.
Focus on Sustainability
Downstairs guests were invited to learn more about the sustainable impacts of furnishings made with BiOH polyols through two very visual exhibits. The first was a sculpture made from gallon milk jugs hanging to highlight the amount of petroleum that can be saved when many people make positive choices to purchase furniture containing soy foam. It definitely caught guests’ attention!
MCAD student Milk Jug Exhibit Highlighting Petroleum Savings
Sign Next to Milk Jug Exhibit Outlining Impact
The second exhibit was a great visual that was easy to implement. A sofa was marked with a line to highlight that up to 20% of furniture foam can be made with soy-based materials rather than petroleum. People loved the bold color and simple message.
Additionally, we had our oil barrel sofa on display for people to write their questions about sustainable furnishings on. Some of the questions from guests…. “Is soy foam biodegradable?”. The answer = No, soy foams are not biodegradable and pass the same durability tests that all petroleum-based foams pass. Foam can be recycled at the end of its life. ”How do costs compare?” The answer = Furnishings with sustainable features like soy foams are offered at a range of prices depending on style, functional, and budget needs. There were several other questions that I hope to address in future blog posts!
Some Questions on the Oil Barrel Sofa on Sustainable Furnishings
Other Event Highlights
Besides engaging exhibits, there were several other great activities and experts on hand for the guests. We had three lovely ladies at the event who all embrace sustainability and green design in their own ways -Micaela Preston, the author of Practically Green and blogger of the Mindful Momma, Susan Rapp who writes a fabulous design blog – Urban Lifestyle Decor, and Cindy Ojczyk from Simply Green Design. They took a few minutes to smile for a photo.
Micaela Preston, Susan Rapp, and Cindy Ojczyk
We also had several fun activities for the youngest guests – including soy foam blocks of all sizes and colors to play on as well as pots of soybeans with eco-friendly stickers and (temporary) tattoos along with interactive video activities for kids of all ages. Judging from the photos, I think the kids had fun!
Soy Foam is Soft!
I want these at home!
Even the little visitors like soy foam!
Soy foam blocks are fun!
Playing in Soybeans
That’s just a taste of what Experience Soy Style at Room & Board offered guests! I hope you enjoyed the opportunity to see several images from the event. And I also hope there will be future opportunities for you to personally Experience Soy Style if you were unable to attend this celebration; many of the materials and resources from this event will be available in coming weeks for other retailers that carry furniture and bedding lines containing BiOH polyols to create personalized “Soy Style” events in their stores that can help educate about soy foam options. There is a huge opportunity to increase awareness of furnishigns with soy foams and the benefits they offer. Stay tuned!
The students have designed several exhibits to take you on a “journey from soybean to sofa.” Through videos, banners, soybean plants, foam blocks, and scupltures, you can learn more about soy foam options and why they may be a better choice for your home. It will be engaging, fun, and inspiring!
There will also be several fun activities for kids of all ages – from digging in soybeans for prizes and playing with foam blocks to stepping into our “interview booth” to answer questions about helping the environment as well as older children getting “Press Badges” to act as Journalists in Training while capturing videos at the event. This experience will be family friendly!
We also have two special guests who will be on hand to chat about green living and green design. Micaela Preston, the author of Practically Green and blogger of the Mindful Momma, will be available during the event to answer questions about green living and share resources in her new book. Practically Green takes the guesswork out of reading labels and will show you how to make smart, healthy purchases for your family without spending hours researching.
Additionally, Cindy Ojczyk from Simply Green Design will be available to answer questions on green remodeling and green interior design. Enjoy connecting with these experts!
For those in the Minneapolis area, I hope to see you there! For those who cannot attend, stay tuned next week as we will post several photos and videos from the event here.
Posted by Jessica, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on September 11, 2009
If you’re an interior designer, this post is written specifically to answer your questions and hopefully, inspire you to become a catalyst for positive change in the home furnishings industry. And if you’re not an interior designer, you’re still welcome to follow along!
Let’s start with some background on why interior designers may consider specifiying products made using soy foam with BiOH polyols…
1.Clients are often seeking more environmentally friendly and healthier options for their homes, and designers are expected to bring solutions. (The Green Design Summit held earlier this year was a great venue to learn about some of those options.)
2. Many large jobs being bid require designers to source sustainably. (Check out one great example: The Charity Works GreenHouse project)
3. It’s the right thing to do for environment! (Cushions made in part with soy-based BiOH polyols leave a smaller environmental footprint since BiOH polyols require less energy to manufacture and have a smaller carbon footrpint. They also use less petroleum chemicals – reducing the industry’s use on this non-renewable resource.)
Now let’s address some questions you might have…
1. What exactly is soy foam?
Download our Fact and Defintions document for some background on how foam is made, etc.
2. How much of the “soy foam” is made from soy?
Our Fact and Defintions document gives more detail, but the typical levels of soy content in foams range from 5 to 20% – depending on the type of foam. (Higher density foams can often be made with higher levels of soy-based content than lower density foams.) Renewable BiOH® polyols were introduced just a few years ago. Since this is first generation technology, flexible foam manufacturers want to ensure that the foam meets certain performance requirements. Right now, 5- 20% is the typical range used across foam grades to meet the performance needs for the industry. The BiOH polyols team is working with flexible foam manufacturers to increase the use of the renewable, soy-based content over time. This is the first step on a journey, and every step counts!
3. What about fire retardance issues?
In our experience, manufacturers test soy foams the same as all petroleum-based foams to ensure that they pass all specifications.
4. Are foams made with BiOH® polyols biodegradable?
Foams made with BiOH polyols are not more biodegradable than traditional petroleum-based cushioning. Products made with our products are long-lasting and durable like traditional cushioning. Polyurethane foam, however, can be recycled at the end of its life.
5. Will people with soy allergies react to foam products made with BiOH® polyols?
See an earlier blog post on the topic of soy allergies.
6. What other eco-friendly cushion options exist?
The majority of upholstered furniture cushioning is made with polyurethane foams. Therefore, polyurethane foams made in part with soy-based BiOH polyols represents a more eco-friendly choice for most manufacturers to satisfy both their performance and cost requirements. However, another option is the use of natural latex for cushions. Natural latex is made from renewable materials. (Note: latex is often a blend of both natural and synthetic ingredients so it is good to confirm the amount of renewable content in latex products.) Latex cushions typically cost more than foam.
For more information on soy foams, please explore our FAQs.
Photo courtesy of American Leather
Now onto some additional important information, where can you find products using soy foam with BiOH polyols for your clients? You can find products through several retailers, or direct from manufactures like American Leather, LEE, C.R. Laine, Cisco, Willem Smith, Harden, and many more! Additionally, soy foam with BiOH polyols is commercially available from many foam suppliers so it should be easy for any of your manufacturers to source if they ask!
You Can Make a Difference
As Interior Designers, you truly have an opportunity to be catalysts for change in the industry! Your clients trust you to be knowledgeable about the latest trends and to create design solutions for their home that fit their lifestyle. The great news is that your clients don’t have to sacrifice quality or style when choosing furniture made using soy foam with BiOH polyols…and they get to reap the emotional benefits of feeling good about choosing more sustainable products!
The positive impact from each individual furniture purchase made using soy foam with BiOH polyols is small. However, when many people seek better options that fit their lifestyle, each individual purchase decision adds up in a larger movement towards reducing use of petroleum and leaving smaller environmental impacts. You (and your clients) can make a difference!
Whew! That was A LOT of information packed into one blog post. So without further ado, I’d love to hear thoughts or questions from designers about soy foams in furniture. What are your thoughts on soy foam?
Posted by Jessica, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on September 1, 2009
It might if you’re shopping at LaDifférence in Richmond, VA during the month of September as they hold their Perfect Seat for Your Seat Sale! La Diff is a contemporary retailer that delivers great style along with a lot of enthusiasm and character. You get a taste of the La Diff shopping experience just by walking past their store windows for the latest buzz. Who wouldn’t want to walk inside to check out their offering?
La Diff Windows July 2009
La Diff Windows May 2009 La Diff Windows April 2009
La Diff Windows April 2009
La Diff is a single store location in the heart of Richmond offering three floors of delightful colors, shapes, and textures to explore. Though you may not be able to visit their store directly today, you can get to know La Diff through their blog, facebook, and twitter conversations. No doubt you will want to stop by next time you’re in Richmond to experience La Diff yourself.
Beyond the contemporary flare and charm, La Diff has also been a leader in the sustainable furnishing movement for some time. They are founding members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council and make environmental impacts a part of their buying process. The sustainability journey is one of asking questions and engaging in discovery around how products are made. From certified raw material sources (wood, fabrics, etc) to recycling practices, renewable foam ingredients, and transportation processes, La Diff explores and encourages sustainable options from their vendors where it makes good business sense.
They then use that information to educate their customers about the sustainable features of their products through a three leaf rating system. Education around sustainable issues is an important part of the La Diff merchandising strategy and key for connecting shoppers with the information they are seeking around more sustainable choices! See for yourself….
The Green Screen at La Diff Educates Shoppers
And if you need another reason to love La Diff (I doubt it!), note that they also carry upholstered furniture lines from stylish manufacturers like American Leather, McCreary Modern, and Younger that use soy-based foam with BiOH polyols. So maybe the perfect seat for your seat at La Diff IS made with soy!
The BiOH experience offers resources for you to learn and participate in helping communities and the environment. It is brought to you by the BiOH polyols business — a maker of soy-based ingredients for foam. Please explore our site and then share your thoughts with us. We want to hear from you!
Subscribe
Read all of our recent posts in your favorite feed reader. Click here for the RSS feed.
Or, enter your email address below to get updates sent to your inbox:
Read all of our recent posts in your favorite feed reader. 
