What is Bean Bag Chair Filler Made From? 

Traditional bean bag chairs are filled with polystyrene beads.  Polystyrene beads make for terrific fill because they are light, airy, cushiony and resist compression.  They form to your body and provide the ultimate comfort that comes from bean bag chairs.  The reason they provide such excellent comfort is because of the way the beads are made and the material the beads are produced from.  

The Making of Polystyrene Beads

Bean bag beads are made from polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam. Styrofoam is actually a brand name from the company Dow.  To make polystyrene beads, plastics are combined with chemicals, producing an expandable resin called EPS.  The EPS is heated causing the resin to expand.  The heating is taken only far enough to get the resin to “pop” into the characteristic resilient, lightweight beads.  If it is heated further the resin forms hard little beads and is useless for bean bag chair fill. 

Virgin vs. Recycled

The plastics used to make the polystyrene beads can be either virgin or recycled.  One of the great things about polystyrene beads is they provide an excellent use for recycled plastics.  When you recycle your soda and drink bottles they can be made directly into polystyrene beads for bean bag chair refills.  The polystyrene beads made from virgin plastics and recycled plastics are exactly the same, there is no difference in quality, longevity or comfort.  The only way you can tell the difference between these types of beads is to ask your supplier the source of the plastics.

Some bean bag chairs come filled with 100% pre-consumer recycled polystyrene beads.  These beads tend to be ground up packing materials and come in two forms.  Some are ground up and look like smashed polystyrene.  Others are ground up and then sorted to get uniform size beads.  There is debate over which of these types of beads are more comfortable and which has the most longevity.  Some say having the variations in size makes for a more comfortable bean bag chair that conforms better to your body while others say having the uniform beads is better because they compress less and stand up for a longer period of time. It seems that personal preference will be the final decision maker on this issue.

Foam Filler

The newest bean bag chairs come filled with high density foam which is super comfortable, conforms to your body and then springs back when you get up.  The foam can be highly compressed for shipping which saves money. Once the seal is broken the foam springs up to its regular shape.  These bean bag chairs tend to have a more structured shape because of the shape of the foam.  There are hybrid chairs out there now that have a combination of polystyrene beads and foam pieces.  You get the best of both worlds with a combination of polystyrene and foam.

Polystyrene is not recyclable or biodegradable.  If you choose to purchase a bean bag chair, look for filler that is made from recycled plastic as your ideal choice. If that is not available your next best choice is to look for 100% pre-consumer recycled polystyrene in either the uniform or crushed variety.  We have an obligation to consider the environment when making purchases.  Ask your supplier for the source of their polystyrene beads and if they are using virgin beads check on the source.  Virgin polystyrene beads, if made from non-recycled plastics, are irresponsible in this day and age especially when it is impossible to tell the difference between recycled plastic and new plastic in the final product.