Soybean-based poly-urethane foam blends have worked well for auto interiors supplier Johnson Controls Inc. Since their launch two years ago, the company's soy foam seats have been used on 11 vehicle platforms in North America. But a problem occurred in taking the eco-friendly seating global: Soybean oil is less plentiful in other parts of the world. So the supplier is adapting its plant-based urethane program. In Asia, Johnson Controls will make urethane foam with about 5 percent content from palm oil, while European foams will use a combination of castor oil and canola oil. The company is calling the foam natural-oil polyols, or NOPs.
展开▼
