Mattress material and structure

5. Are the Grand Soleil mattresses latex?

• No, the Grand Soleil mattresses are foam mattresses made from natural oils, they are not latex.

6. Where are they made? What are they made of?

• Using German technology, these mattresses are made in Italy.
• They are made from natural oils, such as sunflower oil and water.

7. How is a mattress possibly made from sunflower oil and water? How do they make it open cell?

• Sunflower oil is first transformed into polyoils; this is a similar technology to that used by companies who create bio-diesel. Polyoil is a natural combustible material similar to crude oil. The Polyoils are heated in a machine, then the ingredients are dropped onto a conveyor belt (the speed of the belt dictates the quality of the foam; the slower it is the better the quality, but the more expensive it is). The ingredients react with the air and forms a foam. Usually the "foam loafs" are a minimum of 20 metres long, 2 metres wide and 2 metres high. Originally this was how polyurethane was produced; then some latex companies copied the process to produce 100% synthetic latex. Recent innovations have allowed natural oils and water to be the raw ingrediants on the foaming machines, thus producing a natural foam.
• In the case of Grand Soleil mattresses the raw materials are sunflower or vegetable oils & water. For natural latex the raw material is latex sap; synthetic latex is made from Styrene Butadiene Rubber, the raw material is petroleum.
• During the heating phase of production, the cells are forced open; the foam is then stabilized to preserve the core structure. It depends on the particles of the raw ingredients whether they have the capability to be made open cell, it also depends on how slow the conveyor belt proceeds, if it is slow enough there is enough time to form an open cell structure. The crushing process opens the cells further and also makes the foam more resilient and durable.

8. How is a sunflower based product ecological?

• We only need seeds, soil, water and sunshine to produce vegetable oils, we can farm and grow these plants, in theory it is inexhaustible, therefore it is sustainable and eco-friendly. Most synthetic products depend on fossil oil, the resource is limited, and it is therefore not sustainable. In addition the extraction technique’s for fossil fuels are also extremely damaging to the environment, Grand Soleil’s raw ingredients are grown in pesticide and pollutant free fields, and the harvesting of the raw ingredients is far less ecologically damaging.