|
_______________________
Steal This Video, If...
 If you are a registered participant offering certified foam or products containing certified foam, this 90-second video is yours -- or your customers -- to use at point of purchase, embedded in emails, on your website, or in any other promotional materials. The video uses whiteboard animation and a professional voiceover to tell the CertiPUR-US® story in a captivating way.
|
_______________________
What's Your CertiPUR-US® Program I.Q.?
1. CertiPUR-US® program certifies:
a. Only the flexible polyurethane foam in bedding or furniture
b. All foams
c. Companies who have a record of environmental stewardship
d. Mattresses and upholstered furniture
2. To use the CertiPUR-US® mark/logo/name, you need to get permission from:
a. Your mother
b. Your foam rep
c. AFPF/CertiPUR-US® administrators
3. The CertiPUR-US® program is administered by the Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam which is a:
a. Media conglomerate
b. Non-profit organization
c. For profit operation
4. The CertiPUR-US® program tagline is:
a. All the foam that's fit to sell
b. Foamation nation
c. Foams that feel good and you can feel good about
d. Certifiably fresh
See answers at bottom of this column.
|
Free Info Cards for Your Sales Team
What's free, comes in packs of 50 and provides a pocket-sized tool to help your sales reps remember and share the benefits of certified foam? It's a set of small 2" x 3.5" cards that explain key benefits of certified foam. All you have to do to receive a packet free is send your name and mailing address to hsullivan@certipur.us. Write CertiPUR-US® Info Cards in the subject line for faster processing.
|
| Foam Producers: How to Certify a Foam
1. Decide which of the six foam groups you want to earn certification. Multiples are encouraged!
3. Test the physical properties of representative foams to meet CertiPUR-US® Technical Guidelines for performance and durability.
5. Submit the signed application and all test data to AFPF/CertiPUR-US® administrators.
6. If approved, pay the registration fee.
8. Repeat steps 3-6 in six months (foams that achieve two consecutive certifications earn the right to be re-rested annually for re-certification) ANSWERS to QUIZ: a., c., b., c.
Got all four questions correct? Your CertiPUR-US® I.Q. is off the charts! |
 |
|
|
|
|
Effective Immediately: New Rules for Using the CertiPUR-US® Mark/Logo/Seal
Attention manufacturers, distributors, and retailers! In order to use the CertiPUR-US® logo in your marketing, promotional, and sales efforts, you must gain permission from AFPF/CertiPUR-US® administrators. Learn more about the 3 Essential Steps required to gain permission to use the CertiPUR-US® mark and be included on a list of companies offering products containing certified foam. (See list here.) In addition to signing the Form B agreement on page 4 of the CertiPUR-US® Branding & Style Terms of Use Manual, it is now required for your foam producer or distributor to submit on your behalf a CertiPUR-US® Supplier Verification Form A. Everything you need to know is here: 3 Essential Steps, a new section of the website that is also accessible from the pull down menu under the "For Industry" tab on the home page of the website at www.certipur.us.
Do You Sell Certified Foam?
 If you sell certified foam, we need you to be a superhero by educating your customers about the 3 Essential Steps they need to take in order to be able to promote the use of certified foams in their products. The first of the essential steps is for you to submit CertiPUR-US® Supplier Verification Form A on your customers' behalf.
|
Questions Consumers Ask
"Does XYZ Mattress contain certified foam?"
"My furniture salesperson told me the sofa cushions used
certified foam. Is it true?"
"This company told me the crib mattress was certified but I don't see them on your website."
"I'm buying a memory foam topper online and it says it's certified, but I want to be sure."
These are the types of questions we hear from consumers in phone calls and emails that come in to CertiPUR-US® offices daily. If you are a manufacturer or retailer selling products containing certified flexible polyurethane foam, be sure to follow these 3 Essential Steps so that when we refer callers to the section of the website listing companies that offer products containing CertiPUR-US® certified foam--your company is there!
|
| Careful About Claims
Based on the CertiPUR-US® Branding & Style Terms of Use Manual, when promoting certified foam...
|
| Order Hangtags
Ensure customers know the foam in your products is certified by using these handy 3" x 3" hangtags/inserts, affixable by drill hole or inserted into product literature. Imprint with your logo or order in-stock in quantities of 1,000 and up. Click here to download a hangtag order form. (Current customers please note that the size of the drill hole in the upper left corner is now 1/8" in size as opposed to 1/16" in size.)
|
Foam Producers: New Sampling Procedure
If you are submitting foam samples to an approved laboratory
for testing, please note that an updated version of the Technical Guidelines is now available with important changes about time constraints in Section 6 on page 4.
Specifically, there are new time constraints on when samples are cut out of the bun (no later than 7 days after production), packaged (immediately after sampling), and shipped (to arrive at the testing lab within 14 days of cutting). This is to ensure that VOC chamber testing is conducted no later than 35 days after sampling.
In addition, the sample submittal application (only available upon request from dsullivan@certipur.us) has also been updated with new fields to record shipping date - and for labs to record arrival date.
Finally, be sure to check updated contact information and addresses for testing laboratories in the Technical Guidelines.
|
Important Spell Check
The most common mistake we see each and every day is how the CertiPUR-US® program is spelled and inconsistency with the hyphen and upper and lower case letters. Please try to get it consistently right!
CORRECT: CertiPUR-US® program
Wrong: CertiPUR
Wrong: Certipur
Wrong: Certi-PUR
Wrong: Certi-pur-us
|
|
Download & Print this Fact Sheet
Here's a link to a handy one-pager you can  download and print so that you always have details about certification to share with your customers. Most important to know is that foams that are CertiPUR-US® certified are:
- Low emission (low VOCs) for indoor air quality
- Made without chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or other ozone depleters
- Made without PBDE flame retardants
- Made without mercury, lead, and heavy metals
- Made without formaldehyde
- Made without prohibited phthalates
- Tested and approved for durability and performance
Products that carry the CertiPUR-US® seal contain flexible polyurethane foams that have been rigorously tested and certified by an accredited independent laboratory to meet specific criteria for physical performance, content, indoor emissions and environmental stewardship.
Certified foams must undergo recertification every six months for the first year and annually thereafter. Random checking of product samples is conducted to verify that only compliant foams are being sold with the CertiPUR-US® seal.
|
|
CertiPUR-US® is a program of the Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam, Inc., an organization formed in 1995
and incorporated in 2008. In addition to administering the CertiPUR-US® certification program, the mission of AFPF is
to educate consumers as well as the industry about flexible polyurethane foam as a cushioning material.
|
For more information, write to info@certipur.us, call 828.455.6192 , or visit www.certipur.us.
CertiPUR-US® is a registered certification mark of the Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam, Inc.
|
|
©2013 Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam, Inc.
|
::
|
|
|
|
|
