NCFI, Lee Industries & Cargill Invite Press to Market Launch

New 50% Soy Replacement Bio-Lux™ Max Included Exclusively in Lee’s Leather Collection.

NCFI Polyurethanes (a division of Barnhardt Manufacturing), Lee Industries of Newton, NC and Cargill Inc. invite the furniture and bedding press to attend their launch announcement. The event will take place on Saturday April 17th at 5:00 pm at the Lee Industries Showroom located at 100 South Lindsay Street in High Point. The event will announce the introduction of NCFI’s line of Bio-Lux™ Max cushioning products. The revolutionary foam product, which replaces 50% of the petroleum based polyol with soy, will be featured exclusively in Lee’s Collection of upholstered leather furniture. This project is the latest in both companies’ long history of environmentally resposible initiatives.

“We have been working on this introduction for some time,” says Chris Bradley, NCFI’s Director of Sales for Consumer products. “Our customers have been asking us for a product that contained significantly higher amounts of renewable content than current products in the market. With the Bio-Lux™ MAX product, we have crossed a major barrier by replacing 50% of the petroleum based polyol with materials made with renewable resources.” This breakthrough means that NCFI is also the first manufacturer to pass the 30% mark in terms of renewable material content. Bio-Lux™ Max foams will contain as much as 33% overall renewable content. “We fully expect to be at a 75% replacement level by the end of this year which will bring us beyond the 50% overall content level.”

“Lee Industries is taking yet another step in becoming the leader in sustainable home furnishings,” says Norman Coley, President of Lee Industries. “We always embrace new ideas and products. With the introduction of NCFI’s new Bio-Lux™ Max, Lee will be increasing the overall amount of soy polyol in its foam by 60%. Being good stewards of the environment, we are compelled to constantly evolve our product with advancements like these.”

The main source for the replacement polyol will be Cargill’s BiOH® product line. “We are excited to partner with NCFI and LEE on this industry breakthrough in replacing 50% of the petroleum-based polyol with BiOH materials,” said Yusuf Wazirzada, Business Unit Leader of Cargill Biobased Polyurethanes. “This is a major milestone in our journey of creating ingredients for foam products with increasingly higher levels of renewable content.”