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July 20, 2009 -
HOM Furniture announced today
that it is partnering with
Cargill’s BiOH® polyols
business in the Twin Cities to
educate consumers about their
mattress products made with BiOH
brand polyols. BiOH polyols are
soy-based ingredients designed
to replace a portion of
petroleum-based materials used
in bedding foam and upholstered
seat cushions. The HOM team will
be equipped with training
materials and resources to
respond to customer interest in
renewable and more sustainable
products.
“HOM Furniture is proud to offer
Serta mattresses that are made
in part with renewable soy
content,” said HOM President and
CEO Rod Johansen. “The soy-based
BiOH® ingredients used in our
Serta mattresses are made from
soybeans grown by American
farmers and are environmentally
friendly, so we can all help
decrease dependence on
non-renewable petroleum while
leaving a smaller environmental
footprint. With materials like
soy-based foam, our products
help our customers make a
difference without sacrificing
their comfort. As part of the
Doing the Right Thing campaign
at HOM, we’ll all feel better
about improving our environment
by making a more sustainable
choice of mattresses.”
Cargill Biobased Polyurethanes
President Yusuf Wazirzada added,
“Research indicates that
consumers are hungry for
accurate information regarding
environmental claims. They want
to make fact-based purchase
decisions and are skeptical of
greenwashing. We want to provide
retail partners with simple,
understandable information to
inform their customers about the
benefits of soy foams with BiOH
polyols.”
Renewable, soy-based BiOH
polyols are purchased by foam
manufacturers to replace a
portion of the non-renewable
petroleum polyols from which
foams are traditionally made.
The percentage of soy content
depends on the type of foam and
how it is manufactured. Over
time, the goal is to replace a
higher percentage of petroleum
while still maintaining foam
performance.
Serta mattresses sold through
all HOM Furniture stores use
soy-based foams with BiOH
polyols. Now that the Serta
mattresses with soy foam are
widely available through HOM
showrooms, there is a
significant opportunity to
educate mattress shoppers about
the benefits of soy foams
including energy savings,
smaller carbon footprint, and
reduced dependency on petroleum.
HOM Furniture and Cargill’s BiOH
polyols business are partnering
on communications and events to
promote the Serta products that
are available at HOM.
About HOM Furniture
HOM ranks as one of the nation’s
largest furniture retailers,
serving customers in 13
showrooms throughout Minnesota,
South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa
and Wisconsin. HOM Furniture has
furniture stores in the greater
Minneapolis and St. Paul area,
including Plymouth, Lakeville,
Roseville, Woodbury, Bloomington
and Coon Rapids; with additional
Minnesota showrooms in
Hermantown/Duluth, Rochester and
St. Cloud, as well as in Eau
Claire, WI, Sioux City, IA,
Fargo, ND, and Sioux Falls, SD.
(www.homfurniture.com).
In 2008, HOM Furniture acquired
and owns Gabberts Design Studio
& Fine Furnishings. Gabberts is
the region’s premier, high-end
furniture retailer and one of
the strongest furniture brand
names in the country. Gabberts
showroom also offers Serta
mattresses made with
environmentally-friendly
soy-based BiOH brand polyols,
and is located in the Galleria
in Edina, MN.
About Cargill’s BiOH Polyols
Cargill’s BiOH® polyols business
markets renewable-based products
to manufacturers of polyurethane
foam for use in home furnishings
and other consumer products.
Cargill is an international
producer and marketer of food,
agricultural, financial and
industrial products and
services. Founded in 1865, the
privately held company employs
160,000 people in 67 countries.
Cargill helps customers succeed
through collaboration and
innovation, and is committed to
applying its global knowledge
and experience to help meet
economic, environmental and
social challenges wherever it
does business.
For more information,
visit
www.cargill.com. |
