In my business I am constantly hearing from people who complain that their previous sofa only lasted last 3 - 5 years. Usually, the reason is that the seat cushions have worn out (and are not worth replacing.)

Flexsteel, LaZBoy, Ashley and their competitors all use 1.8 density foam in their standard seat cushions. This is what is lasting only 3 - 5 years.

I also hear from people who purchased Flexsteel or LaZBoy 15 - 30 years ago. Most of those people say that their seat cushions lasted 10 - 15 years. I'm pretty sure that those cushions were also 1.8 density foam.

My question is: What has changed in cushion construction over the past 15 years so that seat cushions are breaking down so much sooner?