PU foam alternative finds favour

In the past few years, Teijin’s Elk high loft nonwoven has had dramatic success as an environmentally friendlier replacement for polyurethane foam in the seats of Japan’s trains.

Around 100 million Japanese train seats have now been fitted with Elk pads, which are made from a bicomponent fibre with a polyester core and an elastomeric polyester sheath, with the core off-centre to create a spiral crimp effect.