With some consumer products, if a mistake is made during its production, the entire batch may be tossed out, and with it all the money and energy invested up to that point. But with foam manufacturing, the biggest mistakes will still leave a salvageable product that is able to be repurposed as shredded foam. Even with end-products at home, an old mattress or sofa cushion can be torn up as packing foam or serve many other little uses around the home. This versatility makes foam one of the most uniquely re-usable materials on the market.
Companies that make multiple foam products from bulk forms or sell cushions online are often faced with the problem of having large amounts of remnants that are too small or irregularly shaped to be cut into a new product. The only way to capitalize on their investment was to offer them at a super-reduced rate to customers as scraps, or send them back to the production companies.
Today, foam manufacturers waste almost zero material, thanks to in-house shredding machines. The foam filling used for pillows, bean bags, and even carpet underlayment is produced from scrap and runoff from other projects. While some may turn their noses up at the idea of their comfort foam being “scrap,” these processes actually ensure that customers are getting high-quality materials. Instead of buying pre-made shredded material made from low-quality foam to keep costs down, top-quality left-overs from mattresses, acoustic foam, and packaging are used. That means shredded foam is made from material with enough quality to be a premium end-product; it simply happened to find itself on the wrong side of a cutting blade.
As previously mentioned, even in-home scrap foam can be re-purposed. Old mattresses can be used for arts and craft supplies, padding during a move, or packaging for items in storage. Couch cushions can be torn up and used to make DIY throw pillows or used as wall-protecting pads behind paintings or mountings. The re-usability of foam is one of its most unique and beneficial traits, and one that helps people directly, whether in the form of a store-bought shredded foam pillow, or a DIY project from materials at home.