Dow Wins Sustainability Product of the Year Award for Second Year Running
Furniture World News Desk on
8/21/2018
Dow won the award for VORAGUARD™ Polyol, a ComfortScience technology for mattresses with built-in safety properties and sustainable environmental profile.
The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) recently announced that it has won the ‘Sustainability Product of the Year’ for the second consecutive time in the prestigious Business Intelligence Group’s Sustainability Awards Program. Dow won the award for VORAGUARD Polyol, a ComfortScience technology for mattresses with built-in safety properties and sustainable environmental profile.
VORAGUARD is a patented polymer polyol for flexible polyurethane foam production designed to exhibit inherent flammability resistance properties and excellent load-bearing, in addition to having very-low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission characteristics. The sustainability features stem from the fact that many post-consumer mattresses are incinerated to avoid land fill and capture energy. As foams made with VORAGUARD do not need halogenated flame retardants to meet fire safety standards, this can reduce the potential formation and release to the atmosphere of certain hazardous compounds during the combustion process.
It was designed from the outset to offer an advantaged environmental profile compared to alternative materials used to manufacture combustion-modified polyurethane foams. The product is free from restricted compounds such as styrene and organo-tin catalysts. The production process itself requires reduced amounts of energy as the raw materials do not require heating or cooling and produces significantly lower amounts of scrap during production.
“VORAGUARD was judged to have made significant technical progress since 2017, which is why we were eligible to resubmit it for competition again this year.” Said Paul Cookson, senior R&D manager for ComfortScience at Dow Polyurethanes. “We challenged ourselves to remove the halogens from the foam, while retaining flame retardancy, and to make new formulation developments that would expand the use of VORAGUARD further into traditional mattress and furniture foams. We succeeded in meeting this challenge, and we are delighted that this has been recognized by the judges at the Sustainability Awards.”
“In anticipation of stricter European regulations on halogenated flame retardants, Dow is developing technologies that push beyond what is merely required to those that will help our customers future-proof their businesses,” Jon Penrice, vice president EMEAI at Dow Polyurethanes commented. “By ensuring foams can meet the most stringent fire safety standards without halogenated flame retardants, and guarantee ultra-low VOCs emissions, we are getting closer to our goal of developing ‘One Foam for Europe’, one mattress type that can be sold anywhere across the continent. This we believe will significantly reduce waste and manufacturing complexities, while also promising the end consumer a cleaner, safer sleep.”
“We are proud to reward and recognize Dow for their sustainability efforts,” said Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer, Business Intelligence Group. “It was clear to our judges that their vision and strategy will continue to deliver results toward a cleaner, more sustainable world. Congratulations!”
Every year, Business Intelligence Group presents the Sustainability Awards to honor companies that have made sustainability an integral part of their business practice.
More about Dow Polyurethanes: Dow Polyurethanes develops and delivers a broad portfolio of technologies and customized solutions to customers in a variety of industries under its DurableScience, ComfortScience and InsulationScience category brands. Applications range from industrial and infrastructure solutions, to consumer comfort solutions in flooring, furniture, bedding and footwear, to automotive solutions for vehicle interior, and energy-efficient insulation materials. The business manufactures and sells key chemical components as well as fully-formulated polyurethane systems for rigid, semi-rigid and flexible foams, and coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers and composites. Dow is the world's largest producer of propylene oxide (PO), propylene glycol (PG), and polyether polyols, and is a leading producer of quality aromatic isocyanates, such as MDI. Striving to meet the specific needs of its customers in their local geographic regions, Dow Polyurethanes operates a global network of production sites and systems houses, as well as innovation and service centers. The business has an ongoing initiative to lead the industry in providing high-performance products that meet critical market needs and contribute to a more comfortable, healthier and resilient society. For more information, visit www.dowpolyurethanes.com.
More about Dow: The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) combines science and technology knowledge to develop premier materials science solutions that are essential to human progress. Dow has one of the strongest and broadest toolkits in the industry, with robust technology, asset integration, scale and competitive capabilities that enable it to address complex global issues. Dow’s market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of advanced materials, industrial intermediates, and plastics businesses deliver a broad range of differentiated technology-based products and solutions for customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, and consumer care. Dow is a subsidiary of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), a holding company comprised of Dow and DuPont with the intent to form three strong, independent, publicly traded companies in agriculture, materials science and specialty sectors. More information can be found at www.dow.com.
More about Business Intelligence Group: The Business Intelligence Group was founded with the mission of recognizing true talent and superior performance in the business world. Unlike other industry award programs, business executives—those with experience and knowledge—judge the programs. The organization’s proprietary and unique scoring system selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and then rewards those companies whose achievements stand above those of their peers.