For a company or organization to survive for centuries, it needs to maintain a vision over time—and that’s exactly what material sciences firm Piana Technology has managed to do. Founded in the 1500s as an Italian textile mill, the family business has evolved to focus on developing a wide array of eco-friendly materials using their signature Vertical Technology.

The process, which folds (or laps, to use the technical jargon) nonwoven fibers vertically, instead of the more standard horizontally, makes for a foam material that’s more resistant to compression, offers better thermal performance, and weighs less than more traditional offerings. As a replacement for polyurethane foam in everything from movie theater seats to mattresses.