Dezeen In Depth examines the environmental impact of polyurethane foam
This month’s Dezeen In Depth newsletter examines the role of polyurethane foam in furniture manufacturing and features an interview with Rafael Pelli. Subscribe to Dezeen In Depth today!
For more than half a century, fossil fuel-based polyurethane foam has been a staple in furniture manufacturing. Jane Englefield explores the impact of this reliable yet unsustainable material.
“Our furniture design has been led, almost from that point, into this mouldable, what you might call organic, form development – that is where foam works very well,” said Tom Lloyd, co-founder of London industrial design studio Pearson Lloyd.

The latest edition of Dezeen In Depth also features an interview with Pelli about the impact of his father’s Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and an opinion piece by Sophie Tolhurst on Jaguar’s rebrand.
Dezeen In Depth
Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design. Each edition includes an original feature article on a key topic or trend, an interview with a prominent industry figure and an opinion piece from a leading critic. Read the latest edition of Dezeen In Depth or subscribe here.
You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Thursday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Debate is sent every Tuesday featuring a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories and Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours on Dezeen.
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