Could the biggest risk to your health in a hospital really be the upholstery?

You may not realize it but that comfy lounge chair you’ve been sitting on in the hotel lobby might be slowly contaminating your environment.

Until recently, the commercial textile industry has focused so much on resolving safety issues that they’ve failed to realize the tragic flaw in their best intentions. What’s emerged is a market demand for sustainable fabrics driven by consumers cautious of the effects of PVC.

Carol Derby, Director of Environmental Strategy for Designtex.

By substituting something that is water-based polyurethane on chief value, recycled polyester backing you’ve gone the next step towards sustainability.

Designtex plans to release their “holy grail” of sustainable textiles for commercial applications this year and continues to surprise the industry with recycled fabrics made from unlikely materials, including audio cassette tape that, with a modified walkman, you can actually hear.

For more on sustainable textiles and the full interview with Carol Derby, click here.

Photo by Brintam.