Protecting the environment is important!

There is no Plan(et) B…

That’s why I use Qualatex balloons. These balloons:

  • are made of natural latex (tree sap tapped from rubber trees)

  • are sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified plantations.

Wishworks/ The Balloon Lady is a member of PEBA,

which is dedicated to a sustainable balloon industry.

PEBA Member badge.jpg

Latex Balloons are an Earth-Friendly Toy

Do you think it’s important to know the facts?

Me too! Here’s what I found:

Latex is made from the sap of Hevea brasiliensis, the rubber tree. This tree sap is combined with small amounts of natural and chemical additives which stabilise, colour, and cure it, and prolong its shelf life. Latex balloons eventually break down after a few years. Source: How Products are Made:  Balloons

After about 30 years of producing latex, rubber trees are harvested to make furniture, cabinets, kitchen utensils, and other wooden products. Source: WoodDatabase.com/rubberwood

These trees, added to the world’s canopy, make a significant contribution to the fight against Global Warming. In one year, the 16 million rubber trees used by the balloon industry take up over 363 million kilograms of CO2 from the Earth's atmosphere. Latex tapping does not harm the trees. Sources: The European Balloon and Party Council, David Attenborough praises Queen's Commonwealth canopy tree project.

Latex production provides employment and income for many small rural communities around the world. Activist Chico Mendez was killed for protesting clear-felling the rainforest near his small rubber plantation. Partly as a result, the Brazilian government stopped subsidizing logging and ranching operations. Over half of the natural rubber plantations in Malaysia are also small and privately-owned plantations, usually about 2 hectares in size. Source: (2018) What is rubber?

Balloons were not mentioned as a concern in the Clean Up Australia Day’s rubbish report (2018). The report showed that only 1% of all rubbish collected was made of rubber: mainly thongs, gloves, and tyres.

STEP’s popular “Bubbles not Balloons” campaign introduced the wonderful idea of releasing bubbles into the air instead of helium balloons. Helium releases are dangerous to the environment. In contrast, air-filled latex balloons do not pose an environmental threat when properly disposed of.

PEBA members are industry professionals who do not condone or participate in helium balloon releases. We do support “Pin-it and bin-it” education and bans on helium releases. PEBA is currently conducting latex balloon biodegradability testing around Australia. https://www.peba.com.au/