SUSTAINABLY SOURCED RUBBER -GROWN FROM AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN COLLABORATION WITH FARMERS & PRODUCERS
WHY WE ARE CHANGING THE SYSTEM OF GROWING RUBBER?
Rubber cultivation is associated with many problems like deforestation, precarious working conditions, loss of biodiversity and long-term damage to the environment through high usage of agrochemicals.
Rubber trees are mainly grown in Southeast Asia in monocultures. As a tropical tree it grows in areas around the equator, which is known for being the biodiversity hotspots of the world.
Rubber is a gigantic market with 14 million hectares covered with rubber worldwide - an area as big as England. But the global lobby for sustainable natural rubber is just starting.
HOW TO TACKLE LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY?
Agroforestry: A different way of doing agriculture
Farmers in Southern Thailand have created botanical paradises with a variety of trees and plants dispersed between their rubber trees. Here you’ll find a functioning ecosystem with habitats for all kinds of species, from animals and plants to insects and microorganisms.
This is what’s called biodiversity!
What does it take to grow rubber while working within the principles of nature? Here you can understand more why agroforestry is important.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT US AND OUR RUBBER?
We are different stakeholders in a condoms-value-chain who use sustainable agroforestry rubber in our products!
By obtaining rubber from agroforestry farmers, we help to preserve the richness of nature on this planet.
No monocultures! The farmers in Thailand plant rubber in regenerative agriculture, with very regulated use of agrochemicals.
Our initiative supports farmers through a premium price and purchase guarantees.
We insist on good working conditions for people within the whole supply chain.
AND THIS IS WHAT OUR SUSTAINABLE RUBBER SUPPLY CHAIN LOOKS LIKE!
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A latex processing factory in Thailand buys the raw material directly from agroforestry farmers within a premium pricing system. After processing the latex, it is sent to Malaysia where a manufacturer produces our condoms. They are shipped to us - currently Germany and UK - and then sold to you! The whole supply chain is fully traceable.
WHY IS RUBBER IMPORTANT?
Sponges, tires, roads, gloves, sex toys, condoms, shoes, balloons... Countless everyday products are made from rubber.
Global rubber production in 2019 amounted to more than 13 million tons. Only a tiny fraction of that is used for condoms - around 3 grams per piece.
In fact the production of tires worldwide takes up around 70% of all rubber production. Nevertheless, we believe sometimes it is easier to enact change for the better on a smaller scale and incrementally grow from there. Businesses have the power and the opportunity to enact significant change all over the world. That's why we want to get the ball rolling.
We believe that small players can be the starters of big changes!
RUBBER AS ONE FACET OF A GLOBAL CHALLENGE
Nature provides us with our basic needs including fresh air, clear water, food, raw materials, recreational spaces, a habitable climate…
With the loss of biodiversity, weather extremes, deforestation, soil erosion, ocean acidification, our planet is facing a crisis.
Those problems are directly connected to the way we grow our food, generate energy, or harvest natural raw materials – like rubber.
The world market for agricultural products is extremely unstable. Many stakeholders in global supply chains live under economic pressure and in constant financial insecurity, particularly farmers and plantation workers.
IT’S TIME THAT WE FULFILL OUR DAILY NEEDS WHILE PRESERVING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES.
