What's in your sofa — and what we're doing about it

The background

Why these chemicals are in your furniture in the first place

UK furniture fire safety regulations — specifically British Standard BS 5852 — have required upholstered furniture to meet strict ignition resistance tests since 1988. The practical result, across the entire industry, has been the widespread use of flame retardant chemicals applied directly to foam and internal fabrics. The regulations were introduced with genuinely good intentions. House fires were killing people. The chemicals helped.

But the science has moved on considerably since then. What was considered an acceptable trade-off in 1988 looks rather different in 2026. Much of Europe moved away from chemical flame retardants years ago, achieving fire safety through construction methods — barrier materials, natural fibres, product design — rather than saturating foam with chemicals. The UK, largely, did not follow.

There is a quiet irony in our own supply chain. One of our cushion suppliers is an Italian manufacturer — operating under EU standards at home — who produces a specifically modified, FR-treated version of their cushions solely for the British market. The rest of Europe does not require it. We do. That tells you something about where the UK has sat on this issue.

The good news is that this is finally changing. The UK government has recently confirmed it will abandon the controversial open flame test — a shift that campaigner Delyth Fetherston-Dilke spent years fighting for. But regulation moving in the right direction is not the same as the problem being solved. We are not waiting.

The Cocoon sofa bed — like every upholstered Furl product, currently manufactured to UK BS 5852 fire safety regulations.

* Industry-wide figures for UK upholstered furniture broadly, sourced from University of Central Lancashire research and national press reporting. Not a measurement specific to any Furl product. Furl product composition varies — see our materials guide for details.

* These are UK industry-wide figures for upholstered furniture broadly — not specific measurements of any Furl product. Furl product composition varies by model and fabric. See our full materials guide for details specific to our range.

Full transparency

What's actually in a Furl product

I want to be specific here, because vagueness on this subject helps no one.

We hold no OEKO-TEX or equivalent certification on our foam components at present. In this respect we are not different from virtually every other upholstered furniture brand in Britain. That is context, not an excuse.

Why it matters

The cumulative concern

The concern with flame retardant chemicals is not acute — it is cumulative. These are not substances that cause immediate harm from a single exposure. The worry is the slow, ambient kind: chemicals that migrate out of foam over time, settle in household dust, and are absorbed — particularly by young children who spend time on and around sofas and beds.

Furl's whole reason for existing is rooted in the belief that your home should bring you peace — that the spaces you inhabit every day should actively support your wellbeing. We talk about creating calm. We talk about furniture that is as good for you as it is beautiful. There is an obvious tension, then, in knowing that the foam inside some of our products carries a chemical burden that growing evidence tells us we should be reducing.

That tension is not comfortable to sit with. But it is important to name it.

Manufacturing

How we already think about responsible production

This is not a new conversation for us. Across our manufacturing, we have been making considered decisions for years — even when they cost more or take longer.

The path forward

Where we're heading

The Air wood storage bed — FSC certified timber frame, recyclable steel mechanism, no flame retardant chemicals. FR-free by construction.

We are actively working with both our foam suppliers to understand what alternatives exist — FR-free foam grades, barrier cloth construction methods, certified low-chemical materials — and what it would take to transition our current range.

We are also looking more broadly at how a small number of pioneering UK furniture makers have approached this problem from a completely different angle — eliminating foam entirely, and building instead with traditional natural materials: solid hardwood frames, natural latex, wool, cotton, rubberised plant fibres. That philosophy resonates deeply with us. And we are actively investigating whether and how those materials and methods could be brought into Furl's way of working.

Our first product to be built entirely to this standard is currently in development: a new bed and storage piece, designed from the ground up with no FR foam. We will share more when the time is right.

For our existing range, the transition is more complex. Changing materials across a live product line — while maintaining compliance, structural performance, and the quality our customers expect — takes time to do properly. We will not rush it in a way that creates new problems. But we will not use complexity as a reason to delay.

Every Furl sofa bed is designed to perform as both — but the materials inside are what we are now focused on changing.

A final thought

There are brands in the UK already proving that furniture can be made without chemical flame retardants, without compromising on safety, comfort or quality. The methods exist. The materials exist. The direction of both science and regulation is clear. What has been missing, for most of the industry, is the will to move.

We have that will. And we are moving.

Your home should be a sanctuary in every sense — including what's inside the furniture, not just what it looks like from across the room. That is the standard we are holding ourselves to, and we will keep you informed as we get there.