Cleaner Technologies Substitutes
Assessment Case Studies:
Upholstered Furniture
EPA 744-R-88-008
June 2000
Bulletin Contents
Description of
upholstered furniture
industry
Case study on La-Z-
Boy West's furniture
manufacturing plant in
Redlands, CA
Case study on Sit-On-lt
in Brea, CA
Case study on
American Seating in
Grand Rapids, Ml
Case study on Country
Roads in Greenville, Ml
Alternatives to Chlorinated
Solvent Adhesives in the
Upholstered Furniture
Manufacturing Industry
The Institute for Research and Technical Assistance (IRTA), a non-
profit organization located in Santa Monica, California, analyzed
the cost and performance of alternative adhesive technologies used by
the furniture and sleep products industries. This project was sponsored
by the U.S. EPA with a grant from the Design for the Environment
(DfE) Program. The Cleaner Technologies Substitutes Assessment
(CTSA) is a partnership with industry including Southern California
Edison (SCE) and the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings
Suppliers® (AWFSS).
Industry Description
Flexible slabstock polyurethane foam is produced by 23 companies in
about 75 pouring plants in the United States. In 1997, approximately
830 million pounds of slabstock foam were produced. By 1998, slab-
stock foam production doubled to about 1.6 billion pounds.
CTSA: Upholstered Furniture 1
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About 10 percent of furniture
manufacturers use adhesives to
bond foam to fabric or wood.
Flexible slabstock foam is fabricated (cut and shaped) into
pieces to be used in carpet underlay, furniture, bedding, packag-
ing, transportation seating, and other products where a durable
and resilient cushioning material is required.
Many foam manufacturers are vertically integrated and have on-
or off-site foam fabrication operations using the foam stock they
manufacture. These flexible foam manufacturers fabricate
about half of the foam produced in their own facilities. The
other half is purchased by independent fabricators who cut and
shape it into various products. There are approximately 350
foam fabrication plants in the United States. All foam fabrica-
tors perform fabrication services for other companies that manufacture
bedding, upholstered furniture and other products.
About IRTA
IRTA is a nonprofit
organization
established in 1989 to
assist companies in
adopting low- and
non-solvent
technologies. IRTA
provides technical
assistance in general
and precision
cleaning, drycleaning,
paint stripping and
coating, adhesive and
ink operations.
Types of Upholstered Furniture Manufacturing
Operations
Upholstered furniture manufacturers purchase foam from foam manufac-
turers or foam fabricators and they use the foam to manufacture their fur-
niture. Some upholstered furniture manufacturers make home furniture,
some make office furniture and some make both types of furniture. Other
manufacturers make stadium seating or transportation seating for use in
conveyances like buses; some of these companies also manufacture office
chairs.
There are more than 2,600 upholstered home furniture manufacturers in
the United States. Approximately 60 percent of these firms have fewer
than 10 employees. Although all upholstered home furniture manufac-
turers use foam for their seat backs, arms, cushions and pillows, only
about 10 percent of them use adhesives in their operations. They use the
adhesive to bond foam to fabric and wood.
There are about 950 companies that manufacture wood and non-wood
office furniture in the country. Approximately 90 percent, or about 850
of these companies manufacture seating. Perhaps 90 percent or 765 of
them use adhesives in their process. They use adhesives to bond foam to
fabric, wood, metal and plastic and to bond fabric to wood, metal and
plastic. The vast majority of these companies have fewer than 25
employees.
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The vast majority of home and office furniture manufacturers are small businesses.
There are about 14 stadium seating manufacturers in the United States.
Thirteen of these manufacturers have fewer than 25 employees. There
are 26 manufacturers in the United States that make seating for buses and
other public conveyances. Some of these manufacturers also make sta-
dium seating. About three-quarters of these companies have fewer than
25 employees. Stadium and transportation seating requires adhesives to
bond foam to fabric, wood, metal and plastic.
Adhesive Alternatives
In the 1980s and early 1990s, most of the adhesive used by upholstered
furniture manufacturers was based on 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA), a
chlorinated solvent. TCA was an effective carrier for the adhesive
because it evaporates rapidly leaving an instant bond, it is fairly low in
toxicity, it does not have a flash point and it is not classified as a Volatile
Organic Compound (VOC) that contributes to photochemical smog.
In the 1990s, TCA was designated as a class one ozone depleting sub-
stance and, in 1996, its production was banned for that reason. Although
TCA inventory was still available, the chemical had become very expen-
sive because of a Federal tax on ozone depleting substances. Virtually
all adhesive formulators stopped making TCA adhesives and began
offering adhesives based on methylene chloride (METH), also a chlori-
nated solvent. Like TCA, METH evaporates quickly, does not have a
flash point and is not classified as a VOC. However, METH is a suspect
ed carcinogen. In 1997, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) issued a regulation on METH that lowered the
worker exposure level from 500 ppm to 25 ppm measured as an 8-hour
time weighted average. The regulation also set an action level at 12.5
Mention of trade
names, companies, or
commercial products
does not constitute
endorsement or
recommendation for
use by either the U.S.
Environmental
Protection Agency or
other firms,
organizations, or
individuals who have
participated in the
preparation of this
publication.
Office chair, stadium, and
transportation seating requires
adhesives to bond foam to
fabric, wood, metal, and
plastic.
GTSA: Upholstered Furniture 3
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About SCE
SCE, the flagship of the
Edison International
family of companies, is
the nation's second
largest investor-owned
electric utility company.
Central to the growth of
the region's economy,
SCE continues its
decades-old commitment
to assist businesses
seeking to start, expand,
or relocate to its service
territory.
Water-based, acetone-based, and
hot melt adhesives have been
used as alternatives in upholstered
furniture manufacturing.
ppm. Companies with worker exposure above that level are required to
institute monitoring and medical surveillance.
In the early 1990s, the formulators developed one-part and two-part
water-based adhesives and some upholstered furniture manufacturers,
particularly in Southern California, adopted them. In Southern
California, METH is classified as a toxic and could not be used when the
formulators stopped using TCA adhesives. The early one-part water-
based adhesives were based exclusively on natural latex and they did not
bond instantly like the solvent-borne adhesives. The two-part adhesives
were difficult to use in equipment but did bond instantly. They were
much more expensive than the one-part adhesives, however. At this
stage, new one-part water-based adhesives composed of natural latex
and a small amount of synthetic polymers are available. These adhesives
bond much more rapidly than the older one-part adhesives that are based
exclusively on latex. Many California upholstered furniture manufac-
turers have converted or are converting to these new one-part latex/syn-
thetic water-based adhesives. Some companies are still using the two-
part water-based adhesives.
Another alternative in this industry is hot melt adhesives which are 100
percent solids. They are applied with special spray guns that heat the
resins in the hot melt adhesives to 300 degrees F or higher so they can
flow. Many upholstered furniture manufacturers, including those with
automated lines, have adopted hot melt adhesives.
Another alternative is an adhesive based on acetone, a non-chlorinated
chemical. Acetone is low in toxicity and, like TCA and METH, readily
evaporates leaving a quick bond. It does have a very low flash
point, however, and measures must be taken to minimize the
chance of fire or explosion. The National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) has rated acetone as an NFPA 704 level 3
flammability hazard. State building codes and fire codes are
based on NFPA guidelines. These codes vary according to loca-
tion and local fire departments have regulations that affect the
amount of the adhesive that can be stored and require explosion-
proof motors and high air flow ventilation systems. Some for-
mulations based on acetone also contain other chemicals like
heptane, hexane and mineral spirits. The other chemicals in
these formulations are classified as VOCs.
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The best choice of adhesive differs by the type of product. The major
alternative to METH- and TCA-based adhesives in the upholstered office
furniture sector is hot melt adhesives. The major alternative in the uphol-
stered home furniture sector is either one-part or two-part water-based
adhesives. In the transportation seating sector, both hot melt and water-
based adhesives are good alternatives. In some niche applications, man-
ufacturers use acetone-based adhesives.
Manufacturers that use any of the adhesive types except hot melt adhe-
sives generally need to install a ventilation system. Upholstered furni-
ture manufacturers that wish to continue using METH-based adhesives
have to purchase and install effective ventilation systems that reduce the
worker exposure to the legal OSHA limit. Manufacturers that wish to
use acetone-based adhesives must also install ventilation systems to
ensure the acetone concentration is below the lower explosion limit of
the chemical. Manufacturers adopting water-based adhesives generally
install a ventilation system; the water-based systems produce aerosol par-
ticulates that can be removed from the workplace with the ventilation
system.
About AWFSS
AWFS® was
incorporated to fulfill a
major need to represent
the interests of
companies and
individuals who supply
the home and
institutional furnishings
manufacturing industries.
Today, AWFS® has an
international membership
that includes
manufacturers and
distributers of machinery,
hardware, lumber,
upholstery materials,
bedding, wood products
and other supplies to
furniture and cabinet
manufacturers.
Adhesive
Characteristics of Alternatives
Classified Toxicity Ozone Flash Point
as VOC Depleter
Issues
Methylene Chloride
High No
Low
Some high No
Heavily regulated
ire regulations
Fire regulations
H
Forms aerosols
Acetone Blends
High-temperature
application
GTSA: Upholstered Furniture 5
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La-Z-Boy West a Pioneer in Water-
Based Adhesives
LA-Z-BOY
"The new water-based
process is better from
an environmental and
worker exposure
standpoint. The most
important thing is that
the process is
technically effective."
La-Z-Boy West, part of the La-Z-Boy
chain with 14 U.S. plants, established
operations in Redlands, California in 1966.
Today the Redlands facility has about 400
employees in a 190,000 square foot building
that manufactures 800 pieces of furniture
each day. In addition to the recliner chairs
for which La-Z-Boy is famous, the firm also
manufactures sofas, tables and office furni-
ture. The Redlands plant manufactures 53
different styles in 30 different variants. A
few years ago, the plant began making con-
tract office furniture, a part of the business
that is expected to grow substantially.
La-Z-Boy brings in the fabric, wood, metal
and foam used to assemble the furniture. The
Redlands operation includes three paint
booths where a stain and one or two topcoats
are applied. They also have three adhesives
spray booths where adhesive is applied to
bond foam to foam and fabric. The prima-
ry fabric used is muslin but some dacron
and duon is employed as well. The foam is
used to make chair seats, backs, arms and
legrests.
In 1988, La-Z-Boy decided they wanted to
convert from the solvent-borne coatings and
adhesives they used at the time to water-
based systems. They elicited the coopera-
tion of their suppliers and also approached
other suppliers. They spent the next three
years testing water-based coatings and
adhesives.
In January, 1992, the experimental work
was completed and La-Z-Boy converted, in
one shot, to a full water-based coating sys-
tem and a one-part and two-part water-
based adhesive system. More recently, La-
Z-Boy has reassessed their adhesive system
6 GTSA: Upholstered Furniture
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La-Z-Boy West manufactures 53
different styles of furniture in 30
different variants.
and has now converted away from the two-
part adhesive. All of the adhesives used in
the plant today are water-based one-parts.
According to Ted Meinke, Plant Supervisor,
"We worked very hard on the conversions
much earlier than other companies. We're
pleased that we eliminated solvents from our
plant."
In terms of the new adhesive system, Ted
Meinke does not believe the company lost
anything in the conversion. "Although there
were problems with the two-part system,
now that we're in the one-part system
throughout, we've really minimized our
costs."
At first, the workers did not like the water-
based adhesives. They were used to solvents
which have a very short tack time. Workers
are paid by piecework and they did not want
to wait between spray operations because it
would reduce their pay. The employee
charged with optimizing the conversion
quickly figured it out. She could spray up
two stacks of foam and by the time she was
finished, she could begin bonding the first
stack. On balance, the throughput remained
about the same even though the tack time of
the water-based adhesives is longer. At this
stage, all three of the adhesive sprayers,
Mary, Rosalina and Sylvia, much prefer the
water-based adhesives because of their
reduced exposure to solvents.
The early efforts of the La-Z-Boy Redlands
plant helped the company convert to water-
based systems in their other plants nation-
wide. "The new water-based process is bet-
La-Z-Boy recliners like this one are bonded using
water-based adhesives.
CTSfi: Upholstered Furniture 7
-------
The early efforts of the La-Z-Boy Redlands plant
helped the company convert to water-based systems
in their other plants nationwide.
ter from an environmental and worker expo-
sure standpoint. The most important thing
is that the process is technically effective,"
says Ted Meinke.
The cost comparison for La-Z-Boy for the
TCA-based adhesives and the water-based
one-part adhesives is shown below. The
figures account for the fact that La-Z-
Boy's production has increased since 1992
when the plant converted away from the
TCA-based adhesives. The values show
that use of the water-based adhesives is 35
percent less costly than use of the TCA-
based adhesive.
Says Tony Freitas, a Production
Supervisor involved heavily in the conver-
sion, "I wouldn't want to convert back to
the solvent-based glue even if we could.
The water-based system we have today is
great."
Annual Cost Comparison for La-Z-Boy
TCA-based Adhesive
Water-based Adhesive
Capital cost
Adhesive cost
Labor cost
Maintenance cost
Electrical cost
Training cost
Regulatory cost
Production adjustment
Total cost
$28,800
$113,400
$1,800
$1,080
$1,193
$1.455
$212,827
$138,629
GTSA: Upholstered Furniture
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Office Chair Manufacturer Starts
Up with Hot Melt Glues
T I • t
"Hot melt adhesives were
the right choice for us.
We've been able to expand
and do the right thing for
the workers and the
environment."
Mike Mekjian started a new business in
February 1996. The company, called
Sit-On-It, manufactures office chairs and is
located in Brea, California. Between
100,000 and 200,000 chairs are manufac-
tured each year and the company is one of the
top 25 office chair manufacturers in the
country. Today, Sit-On-It has a 31,000
square foot facility with 60 employees.
"I worked at another larger office furniture
Established in 1996, Sit-On-It has grown to 60
employees at its Brea, California plant.
manufacturer for several years," says Mike
Mekjian. While he was there he analyzed a
variety of different gluing processes that
used 1,1,1-trichloroethane, methylene chlo-
ride, water-based and hot melt adhesives.
"When I started up Sit-On-It, I wanted it to
be completely clean from the beginning so I
decided to go with hot melt adhesives," says
Mike Mekjian. "I didn't want environmen-
tal problems down the line."
In the office chair production process, Sit-
On-It bonds foam to wood and fabric.
Particularly for bonding foam to wood, an
aggressive adhesive is needed. In bonding
the foam to fabric, the adhesive must have a
two to three minute "open time." This
allows a period for the workers to adjust the
foam and fabric properly. This is especially
important when the fabric has patterns or a
geometric design. Another requirement for
the adhesive is that it have a high heat
GTSA: Upholstered Furniture 9
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release rate. This is to ensure that high tem-
peratures would not reactivate the adhesive.
The company has changed glues three times
to get the hot melt with the best properties
for their application.
Originally the company applied all the adhe-
sive in a batch operation. Last year Sit-On-
It purchased a conveyorized system. At this
stage, about 30 percent of the bonding is
done on a manual line and 70 percent on an
automated line. All of the foam to wood
bonding is done on the conveyor line.
Pressure is applied and the glue dries
instantly. Then the conveyor applies glue to
the foam and to the fabric. Four workers
Sit-On-lt uses an
automated hot melt
line in its office
chair production
process.
Annual Cost of Hot Melt
Adhesives for Sit-On-lt
Capital cost
Adhesive cost
Labor cost
Maintenance cost
Electrical cost
Gas cost
$8,150
$93,700
$88,000
$440
$2,580
$60
$192,930
staff the three upholstery assembly stations
where the foam and fabric are adjusted prop-
erly.
"We grew 600 percent in 1997 and 300 per-
cent in 1998," says Mike Mekjian. "The
investment in the conveyor line was worth-
while. It's very efficient. Hot melt adhe-
sives were the right choice for us. We've
been able to expand and do the right thing
for the workers and the environment," he
says.
10 GTSA: Upholstered Furniture
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Bus Seating Manufacturer
Searches for Alternative Adhesive
WAMERICANSEATING
"If we could use a water-
based glue, it would be
better for the workers, the
community, and the
environment."
American Seating manufactures trans-
portation, office and auditorium seating
at their production plant in Grand Rapids,
Michigan. The company has 700 employees
today and has operated at the same location
since 1888. American Seating has a 95 per-
cent market share in the manufacture of seats
for tour and inner city buses; about 200
employees work in the transportation seating
division. They also manufacture auditorium
and sports seating, seats for colleges and
major league teams. The company produc-
tion amounts to between 500 and 1,000 seats
per day.
American seating uses slabstock
polyurethane and molded foam in their bus
seating. Their operations involve bonding
foam to metal, foam to vinyl, foam to fabric,
vinyl to metal and vinyl to fabric. The prod-
uct used by the company currently is a sol-
vent-borne adhesive containing acetone and
various other organic solvents. Two or three
people apply adhesive during the two 12-
hour shifts the company operates.
American Seating has been testing alterna-
American Seating Company provides seating for
stadiums and auditoriums like the Fulton County
Governmental Building—Assembly Hall in Atlanta.
GTSA: Upholstered Furniture 11
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Operations at American Seating involve bonding
foam to metal, vinyl, and fabric, as well as bonding
vinyl to metal and fabric.
tives to their solvent-based adhesives for
years. They would like to identify a suitable
water-based alternative. The water-based
products they have tested give good results in
bonding foam to metal and foam to vinyl but
not for vinyl to metal. The "green strength"
or bond strength of the water-based adhe-
sives they have tested so far do not meet the
company's standards. The company has also
tried hot melt adhesives that did not bond
well to the metal.
"We would convert to a water-based adhesive
tomorrow if we could find one that met our
requirements," says Warren Zimmerman,
Manager of the Production Operations
Group. "We're not happy with a solvent glue.
If we could use a water-based glue, it would
be better for the workers, the community and
the environment," he says.
Transportation seating provides challenges for
adhesive alternatives.
Annual Cost of Solvent
Adhesives for American Seating
12 GTSA: Upholstered Furniture
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Public Seating Company Converts
Away From Solvent Adhesive
"The hot melt glues look
very good for most of our
production...We're going to
make a full conversion away
from methylene chloride."
Country Roads is located in Greenville,
Michigan. During the winter, the com-
pany has 80 employees that work one shift.
During the summer, Country Roads hires 40
additional workers and the company operates
two shifts.
Country Roads manufactures and remanufac-
tures public seating for arenas, auditoriums
and theaters. During the refurbishing
process, the seats are pulled apart. All of the
metal and most of the wood they contain is
reused in the process. New foam and fabric
are used on the refurbished seats which are
put back in use. The company remanufac-
tures about 200,000 chairs a year.
As part of the refurbishing process, the com-
pany used a methylene chloride-based glue to
bond foam to wood, foam to steel, foam to
fabric, steel to fabric and foam to vinyl.
Three workers apply the adhesive in two
spray booths. The company started aggres-
sively investigating alternatives in the last
year. After a significant amount of testing,
the company found that hot melt glues best
satisfied their requirements for about 90
percent of their production. The company is
in the process of converting from the
METH-based adhesives to the hot melt
glues.
"The hot melt glues look very good for most
of our production," says Dave MacMillen,
Plant Superintendent at Country Roads.
"We still need a good adhesive for bonding
plastic to metal," he says. "We plan to test
GTSA: Upholstered Furniture 13
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an acetone glue for those applications. We're
going to make a full conversion away from
methylene chloride."
Annual Cost of Methylene
Chloride Adhesives for
Country Roads
Adhesive cost
$25,300
Labor cost
$179,200
Maintenance cost
$396
Electrical cost
$360
Total cost
$205,256
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About the Design for the Environment (DfE) Program
The Design for the Environment (DfE) Program is a cooperative effort
between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), industries,
research institutions, environmental/public interest groups, and other
government agencies. Working with these partners, the DfE program
identifies cost-effective alternatives to existing products and processes
that reduce risks to workers and the environment while maintaining or
improving performance and product quality. Through the DfE program,
EPA encourages businesses to incorporate environmental considerations
into their products, processes, and technical and management systems.
To help industry implement some of the ideas and technologies identi-
fied, the DfE program has published a number of case studies of compa-
nies which have found that environmental improvements can also lead to
economic benefits. The case studies encourage other vendors, as well as
other businesses, to learn from these environmental successes and adapt
the techniques to their own processes.
For More Information
To obtain additional copies of this or other case studies, or for
more information contact:
Institute for Research and Technical Assistance (IRTA)
2800 Olympic Blvd., Ste. 101
Santa Moncia, CA 90404
Telephone: (310)453-0450
Fax: (310)453-2660
E-Mail: irta@earthlink.net
IRTA website: http://home.earthlink.net/~irta
Check Out DfE's
Adhesives Web Site:
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/
dfe/adhesive/adhesive.html
Check Out IRTA's Web
Site:
http://home.earthlink.net/
-irta
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