Sri Lankan firm, Lalan Rubbers Pvt Ltd, has produced the world’s first socially and environmentally friendly household rubber gloves which hit the UK market last week.
The product is a collaborative effort between Lalan and UK-based FairDeal Trading which helped the Sri Lankan firm to get its latex (rubber) certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FairDeal is part of Community Foods Ltd Group, a British wholesaler and distributor.
The gloves are sold under the Group’s ‘Green Tips’ brand name. Therese Williams from Community Foods said they pay a fair trade premium for each kilo of rubber used. “So far Euro 100,000 has been paid to contractual rubber suppliers that feed into the household gloves supply chain,” she said adding that Green Tips household gloves are flock lined, hard wearing and durable.
The packaging of Green Tips Gloves is also environment friendly with the use of carton sleeves made from cardboard, which are easy to recycle, instead of the ubiquitous polybags.
Ms Williams told the Sunday Times FT that the Fair Trade premium for rubber that went to FairDeal Trading’s Sri Lankan source has been used to improve the safe drinking water supply in a neglected section of a supplier plantation.
“The decision to use the fund in this way has been taken by a committee, in which management jointly decided how best to use the extra funds for the improvement of the living and working conditions of the workers,” she said. |
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