What is Latex?

Latex is a white milky liquid, a stable dispersion of rubber particles in water.

Latex manufacture for the bedding industry uses two types of latex: natural rubber latex and synthetic rubber latex. Natural latex is harvested from the rubber trees Havea Brasiliensis, which are grown in tropical climate plantations around the world, including South-East Asia, parts of Africa and South America.

The trees are not harmed and therefore provide a sustainable and renewable resource. In fact, the natural liquid latex is a commodity and is publicly traded in stock markets.

The latex is collected in buckets and shipped to large rubber factories where it is transformed into latex foam. Natural latex is ‘white gold’ – white milk extracted from the rubber tree that can be turned into very comfortable and useful products- tyres, gloves and in our case mattresses and pillows.

Synthetic latex, on the other hand, is a man-made copy of natural latex. Its scientific name is Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR). Synthetic latex is cheaper and is mainly used for the stability it adds during the manufacturing process. The combination of natural and synthetic latex is called ‘blended latex’.

 

 

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