Materials
Materials
that matter.
Great products start with great materials. Ours starts with a tree.
01What it is
A renewable material
from a tree.
Natural rubber is harvested from Hevea brasiliensis rubber trees. Unlike petroleum-based synthetic rubber, it is renewable and biodegradable, and it performs.
Latex is collected by making a careful incision in the bark and letting it flow into a cup. The tree is not cut down and goes on producing latex for many years, which makes tapping one of the most sustainable ways of harvesting a raw material.
02Natural or synthetic
For cleaning products,
natural wins.
A cleaning tool has to spring back, stay flexible and last. For cleaning products, natural rubber outperforms synthetic rubber in elasticity, memory, antibacterial properties and environmental impact.
Natural rubber
- Renewable, from rubber trees
- Biodegradable
- Springs back to shape
- Antibacterial
Synthetic rubber
- Made from fossil fuels
- Does not biodegrade
- Less elastic memory
- No natural antibacterial action
03Properties
What natural rubber
gives a cleaning tool.
- Exceptional elasticity and memory
- Antibacterial
- Hypoallergenic
- Biodegradable
- Acid and oil resistant
- Superior durability
Natural rubber contains natural latex proteins, so anyone with a diagnosed latex allergy should check with their doctor before use. Our disclaimer sets out how these properties are described.
04Designing with it
A material
with a mind of its own.
Natural rubber does not behave like plastic. It flexes, grips, springs back and remembers its shape. Designing for it takes patience: every curve and every edge is shaped to bring out what the material does best.
That understanding has been built over 35 years, and it shapes every product we design.
Sri Lankan farming families
Our natural rubber comes from Sri Lankan farming families we have worked with for many years: stable, long-term partnerships that support rural communities.
Planted, tapped, replanted
Rubber trees absorb CO2 as they grow. When a tree reaches the end of its productive life it is replaced with new saplings, so the plantation renews itself.
Keep reading
Where to next
Talk to the studio
Good design starts
with the right material.
Have a product in mind that natural rubber could make better? Tell us about it.