For over 44 years, SBI has remained committed to maintaining a safe, environmentally friendly operation. In the early days of SBI, Gene Banks, our founder and president, brought his young kids to work with him. Ensuring that his kids were not exposed to harmful chemicals was a priority, and that priority shaped how SBI considers its impact on customers and the environment as a whole.

The fabric finishing industry is ever-changing and evolving. As our team travels to trade shows, conferences and various client meetings, several questions come up on a regular basis. We’re breaking those down for you here with insight from SBI’s Director of R&D, Daniel Banks. Continue reading below as he weighs in on innovation, industry challenges and how SBI strives to exceed customer expectations every time.

If you have worked with us before, you might know that most of our finishes and backings can be combined. This “a la cart” offering differentiates us from many other finishing operations, and allows you to customize our finishes/backings to best suit your needs.

For example, below is a list of the most common combinations, grouped into Residential, Outdoor and Commercial applications. Hopefully this list provides inspiration for your next project, or at least sparks ideas around providing the ultimate protection for your fabrics!

At the end of 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act (COVID–19 Regulatory Relief and Work From Home Safety Act (“the Act”), which goes into effect on June 25, 2021. Section 2101 of the Act states that after June 25th, upholstered furniture --- Items manufactured, imported, or reupholstered on or after that date --- must pass Cal TB 117-2013. To be specific, the Cal TB 117-2013 testing standard is a cigarette smolder test. Once the furniture is manufactured, it must be affixed with a permanent tag including the statement: "Complies with U.S. CPSC requirements for upholstered furniture flammability".