Leading European fibre producer ADVANSA has introduced Quallofil Blue, an eco-friendly upgrade of its premium fibre filling for long-lasting, comfortable sofa cushions.
Designed to minimise environmental impacts, Quallofil Blue is from ocean-bound recycled plastic collected by Plastic Bank, a social enterprise that is recognised globally as a leading force in tackling the problem of ocean and beach plastic – one of the most urgent environmental issues of our time.
The collected plastic waste is cleaned, recycled and processed with ADVANSA’s sophisticated recycling technology into first-grade Quallofil Blue, a fibre filling which offers what many furniture designers and makers are looking for – sofa cushions with a soft look and feel which meet some of the highest quality standards, plus long-lasting performance, returning to their original shape and feel time after time.
In addition, the filling has a positive impact on the environment – each Quallofil Blue sofa cushion using 50% recycled plastic utilises approximately 200 recycled bottles.
The filling is also FIRA Gold certified – a recognised mark of product excellence in the furniture industry – giving customers peace of mind and the reassurance that their product’s quality is guaranteed, through ongoing independent third-party audits and re-testing to stringent standards by an independent source.
Wordlwide, over 350 million tons of plastic are produced every year, for use in a wide variety of applications – and up to 10 million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans from coastal communities each year.
In the ocean, marine species like sea turtles, whales, sea birds, fish, coral reefs and countless other species are severely impacted, as they ingest or are entangled by plastic waste, which can ultimately cause severe injuries and death. Marine and bay areas are increasingly becoming less viable environments for humans and animals alike – according to ADVANSA, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea, if immediate action is not taken.
Yet consumers are taking notice, with more and more people each year opting to buy more eco-friendly products – most Britons are trying to cut down on plastic, and are looking for more environmentally friendly alternatives. A recent survey carried out by Statista found that 81% of them believed that the seas surrounding the UK would be full of plastic within 50 years, while 72% believed there would be floating islands of rubbish generated over that time. Public awareness of the problem of plastic waste is growing, and is drawing the end-consumer’s attention towards sustainable products.
ADVANSA, a leading European fibre filling producer based in Germany, is offering sustainable fibre solutions to customers worldwide. In the past 10 years, ADVANSA switched 90% of its fibre production to using post-consumer recycled plastic as a raw material. The latest technology allows ADVANSA to produce high-tech fibres, thereby turning waste plastic into first-grade products – the company uses over two million recycled bottles every day.
In co-operation with Plastic Bank, ADVANSA’s mission is to help prevent and reduce the flow of plastic waste into the oceans or beaches, which mainly happens in coastal regions that do not have efficient or formal waste or recycling systems. About 10 rivers carry 90% of the world’s plastic waste to the oceans – of which eight are in Asia, and two in Africa. The Nile, for example, contributes over 40% of the Mediterranean’s plastic waste, which corresponds to over 15,000 bottles per minute.
Collecting plastic before it enters the oceans can make a significant impact on the environment. Plastic Bank has over 17,000 collectors registered in coastal areas like Haiti, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil and Egypt, who are rewarded for collecting plastic waste before it enters the oceans and rivers, in exchange for a source of income such as cash, school tuition, healthcare, insurance, or Blockchain-secured digital tokens. This strategy helps protect the environment while improving the lives of people in some of the world’s poorest regions.
ADVANSA is also committed to transparency and traceability, and is certified by Global Recycled Standard (GRS), an independent auditing body which certifies the production of fibre using post-consumer recycled plastic.
Cushions filled with Quallofil Blue are available from licensed UK producers Platt & Hill and United Fillings. Find out more and join the movement at www.plasticbank.com, or on ADVANSA’s website.
Pictured: Collecting plastic before it enters the oceans can make a significant impact on the environment (image courtesy Adobe Stock/Aleksej)
