It's crazy how many companies advertise themselves as being "eco-friendly" and "green".  This is true even in our niche bean bag chair market.  This normally would be great news for shoppers searching for environmentally-conscious products, but the reality is that most companies don't go very far to make their bean bag chairs green.  It's just a marketing ploy.

Almost all bean bag chair retailers that sell "green" bean bags are limiting their claim to their filling type.  Bean bag chairs are typically filled with polystyrene pellets (commonly known as styrofoam).  There are 2 types of styrofoam filler: reground and virgin bead.  Virgin bead is brand new styrofoam that is produced to fill your bean bag.  Reground, on the other hand, is styrofoam that was already made, but typically never used for anything.  It's just lying around destined for a landfill.  Reground filling is the more "eco-friendly" filler because it is styrofoam that is repurposed to plump up your bean bag chairs.  This is good for the environment. 

But that can't be all there is to bean bag chair companies calling their products "green"... right?  Sadly, except for AHH! Products, that's usually the best they can do.

AHH! Products naturally offers reground filling, that's a no-brainer.  But, beyond that, we believe that it is important to offer organic bean bag covers to shoppers wanting an alternative.  Our organic line was launched in 2009, and has been a big hit.  We found a source for a buttery-soft cotton twill that is 100% certified organic, grown without pesticides!  It is also dyed and finished using an eco-friendly and sustainable process that won't pollute.  Plus, for allergy sufferers, these covers are also hypo-allergenic!  There are 4 sizes from small to giant, and 11 colors to choose from including hot pink, lime, navy, burgundy, and black.

Our company is lucky enough to be able to retain a family-owned culture, so it's easy for us to be as green as possible.  Every employee knows our recycling mantra, no sheet of recyclable paper or cardboard gets trashed.  Plastic bags are always repurposed and reused.  Lights don't stay on overnight, and computers are always shut down when not in use.  Forget about throwing away a soda can lest you be chastised by the President herself!  We also donate all fabric scraps to charities to make blankets, scarves, etc. for military families and families in need.

It may take more time and a little bit of our budget to care about our planet, but in the end, not many things are more important than keeping Mother Earth safe.

So the next time you come across "eco-friendly bean bags", be sure to read the fine print!

Yours truly, Jade