R-3 Solutions can help your commercial or medical facility meet green interior standards and earn LEED credit through material selection. Many of our reupholstery fabrics are certified with GreenGuard, which has established performance-based standards to define products and processes with low chemical and particle emissions for use indoors. The standards are primarily for building materials, finishes, interior furnishings, and furniture. The standards establish certification procedures including test methods, allowable emission levels, product sample collection and handling, testing type and frequency as well as program application processes, toxicity limits and acceptance.

LEED credit is designated by the US Green Building Council, and can apply to indoor renovations, especially where R-3 Solutions is engaged in recycling the spent components. Reuse, materials with recycled content that meet GreenGuard standards, and localization of source all go toward acheivement of LEED credit. Read more from the US Green Building Council on Furniture and Medical Furnishing credit.
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According to the “textbook” definition, antimicrobial fabrics and textiles are fiber-based substrates to which antimicrobial agents have been applied at the surface, or incorporated into the fibers, rendering a product that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms.

Several formulations available in a wide range of woven textiles and vinyls or polyurethane alternatives to vinyl are based on the bactericidal nature of silver. Examples include CF Stinson’s popular Agion line for healthcare settings.

Nano Technology Applied:

Another silver-based antimicrobial product is called Nanocide, and uses a treatment process whereby nanoscale silver particles are embedded into the material. The smaller the silver particles, the more silver ions they emit and the more unwelcome microbes are eliminated. Silver-enhanced antimicrobial products actively inhibit bacterial growth and show a 99.9% reduction in test microbes and common bacteria. Nanocide can be found in fabrics such as Nanotex, with similar technology applied to Crypton’s Green institutional and health care coverings.

Hi Ho Silver:

Another popular silver-based antimicrobial covering suited for use in healthcare settings, is SilverTex vinyl, coated with Silverguard topcoat, and available locally at our favorite textile supplier. Silver ions engineered into the unique chemistry of Silverguard are highly effective against bacteria because they destroy microorganisms through multiple paths. Silverguard attacks the bacteria cell wall, disrupts protein metabolism within the cell, and forms complexes with other biomolecules in the cell to alter cell functions. These ions are slowly released out of their inorganic matrix in the presence of moisture. Silverguard is released as needed to effectively control bacterial growth while leaving sufficient quantities of Silverguard to retain antibacterial protection.

So, there’s no shortage of silver-impregnated textiles and vinyls to choose from for any commercial, institutional or healthcare setting. But how do you know which one to use? Contact us to discuss the architectural characteristics of each fabric type. In the healthcare and commercial environment, durability goes a long way to offering protection.

500 – 5,000 years! How Much Have You Thrown Away?

R3 Solutions is pleased to be in partnership with Comfort Research, a Grand Rapids soft furnishing manufacturer, to recycle foam from our reupholstery and remanufacturing work. That’s because each seat cushion that gets thrown away is the equivalent of 3 cubic feet of foam, and can take hundreds of years to degrade in the landfill. Through our partnership, we’re diverting a literal mountain of foam from landfills across West Michigan.

Comfort Research – Innovators of the “Fuf”

So what happens to your recycled foam when we part ways in the shop? Sterilization and shredding are in its future to fill a line of “funtastic” soft products that utilize 100% post-consumer shredded polyethene foam, including Comfort Research’s hallmark product, the Fuf.

Comfort Research believes that making an earth friendly product is not just the sustainable thing to do, it’s the right thing to do. To that end, they’ve developed long lasting UltimaX beans from 80% post-consumer recycled content, UltimaX fiber from recycled soda bottles in pet bed lines, and use 100% post-consumer shredded polyethene foam in the Fuf seating line – All which are 100% recyclable!

The company produces a full line of soft furnishings beyond the Fuf, including the “Big Joe” alternative bean bag chair, to “Sunshine on a Rainy Day” motivational ottomons, cube chairs and flip chairs. Check out their product line here to go green: https://buybigjoe.com

Read more to learn about the backstory of the company founded by two Hope College students. Read the rest of this entry »