Magazine
The demand for natural rubber has been increasing steadily for the past two decades and hasn’t slowed down much owing to the pandemic breakdown. It has accelerated, particularly in the last five years, due to increasing demand for non-toxic, environmentally friendly alternatives to household products such as bedding. Consumers are expecting safer, more natural and environmentally friendly products that they come in close contact with. An increasing opportunity can be observed for organic latex bedding worldwide as consumers have realized the real advantages of having their bedding products made out of nature-friendly material.
Latex Green is the first in the world to obtain GOLS certification (Global Organic Latex Standard) for organic latex mattress cores and pillows. In addition, their production process is completely carbon neutral, ISO 9001:2015 certified, which customers truly appreciate. This is in addition to the high-quality compliances maintained in accordance with ECO institute and Oeko-tex standards recommending the suitability of their latex material for making baby products. Mithra Weerasinghe, Managing Director & CEO of Latex Green states, “Due to the growing demand, Latex Green has been able to expand its operation despite the difficulties of the current economic climate. Although we have felt the operational and supply chain-related difficulties that most manufacturers are facing at this time, it has not stopped us from achieving our production and customer expectation goals.”
Assurance of Quality
Latex Green has 60 years of combined hands-on technical management experience in Rubber technology & manufacturing and is recognized by the bedding industry worldwide for manufacturing bedding components using 100% natural & organic latex. The company has been working with customers from over 35 countries including Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, USA, Canada, Korea, Taiwan, Australia and India. They are proud to be the World’s first GOLS certified organic latex foam manufacturer. Latex Green also became the first Sri Lankan plant to obtain the “Sri Lanka Organic agriculture production and processing (SLS 1324:2018)” certification in 2021, amidst the challenges of a pandemic. They have helped local farmers convert their plantations to certified organic, in accordance with the Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) which never existed in this industry before. Furthermore, Latex Green has taken the initiative to introduce biodegradable packaging material for their Organic latex products, ensuring that the total product offering is truly nature friendly.
“Our process starts with sourcing high quality natural and organic latex from our strategic plantation partners in Sri Lanka. Organic rubber
plantations need to be free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers at all times. Such plantations should be maintained for a minimum of five years without pesticides and chemical fertilizers for the plantation to be compliant with USDA/NOP standards tested by Control Union (CU)”, mentions Mithra Weerasinghe.
Latex Green’s 16 point quality control procedure ensures consistent quality from raw materials to the end product. Each rubber tree exudes 15 grams of latex on a daily basis. A queen size core requires the daily output of 2500 trees making up a rubber plantation of 12 acres, providing a living to eight rubber tappers. This vast rubber ecological space absorbs 183 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide in a year.
Latex Green has truly taken a constructive step towards purification of the environment through their global venture. Their injection moulding system is highly efficient in making quality products. The organic foam is free of chemical fertilizers, growth regulators; livestock fed additives and 600 varieties of commonly used pesticides in agriculture. Through their detox campaign, they create products that are free of harmful chemicals as well as hypoallergenic and antibacterial. They use an state of the art foaming machine made in USA to regulate the density and hardness of foam while the latex is being blended with air. A steam cure technique is used to sustain the natural characteristics of latex and in order to maintain hygiene standards the products are washed in drinkable quality water. With the expertise to innovate and evolve new ideas, they have brought in more products like the hardedge core, e-core-lite toppers and bonded latex materials that perfectly cater to the client’s needs. Various designs and sizes with densities ranging from extra soft to extra firm are available in a customized manner. Latex Green diligently follows a Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure enhanced customer satisfaction. They comply with the regulatory requirement set by the Control Union of Netherlands when they implement QMS in order to carefully monitor and conduct the manufacturing process. Latex Green strives for continual improvement to provide the best product fit for the comfort and health of their clients.
Mr Weerasinghe further adds, “Our bedding products are completely carbon neutral, meaning our manufacturing process doesn’t contribute to the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Our products are even designed to be compostable and biodegradable. This means our customers have a peace of mind knowing what they buy is safe and in line with their values”.
Latex green has taken the initiative to introduce biodegradable packaging material for their organic latex products, ensuring that the total product offering is truly nature friendly
Latex Green collaborated with Health Alliance in Australia to create customized pillows by studying the client’s sleeping habits to give them a unique sleeping experience. This is indeed a much-needed venture for the modern times. Mithra Weerasinghe comments, “We launched a joint venture with Health Alliance in Australia named Sleep-Made-to Measure (SMM), which created the world’s first patented Neck Compression Index (NCi) rating, a measuring system developed by Dr. Andrew McFarlene to make tailor made custom pillows online. Although we all know the benefits of a good night’s sleep so few of us seem to regularly enjoy it. Dr Andrew Macfarlane (DO, DC) has researched his patient’s sleep habits for over 30 years to find a solution: a measuring system that delivers the right sleeping comfort based on a customer’s physical attributes. As all our products are free of harmful chemicals as well as hypoallergenic and antibacterial, Latex Green was chosen as the most suitable company to jointly launch this new innovation”.
Looking at the Future
The Managing Director explains that the COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on all businesses. Despite this, the company is still seeing a growth in revenue fuelled by the ever-growing demand for natural products. He concludes, “We are looking to expand our business further and increase our operational capabilities to meet this demand. We already have plans in the pipeline for this. We have been constantly innovating and adapting to prevailing market conditions and we foresee a bright future for the manufacturing industry as a whole now that global markets are opening up again.” Latex Green also aims at being the regional leading company for organic latex mattresses offering quality products at an affordable price.
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