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Organic Hevea natural rubber1. Why organic Hevea natural latex?2. Natural latex 3. Hevea natural rubber 4. Hevea Brasiliensis 5. Hevea milk 6. Processing 7. Warning 8. Note 9. Guarantee 1. Why organic Hevea natural latex?    In theory, the ideal mattress core is extremely elastic and non-deformable. Spring mattresses and water beds either present a smaller point elastic impression or a larger sagging where the weight is heavier. For more than some 20 years, I have been involved in the production of latex foam rubber mattresses. This type of mattresses already is more elastic than others, but elasticity is determined by the quantity of natural rubber in the polymer mixture. In fact, the ideal mattress core only exists of Hevea natural rubber, but because of the absence of fresh hevea milk in America and in Europe, it was technically impossible or very hard to produce such cores on these continents. The foam mattresses we knew, were made of polyurethane or the synthetic polymer SBR latex, Styrene Butadiene Rubber. Both substances are obtained from petroleum through extremely complex processes. In order to increase elasticity, these synthetic latex mattresses were enriched with natural rubber that was mixed with a huge quantity of liquid ( aqueous) ammonia, imported in large bulk ships from tropical Asia or Africa. Nevertheless, the strongly varying quality of the shipments each time complicated the production. Imagine you have to grow the same exquisite wine in California as in France with an arbitrary mix of French grapes. 
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2. Natural latex    In Europe, we succeeded in making so-called “natural latex” mattresses, but the composition had to be adjusted at each new production. The polymer mixture of synthetic SBR latex and natural rubber had to be completed with other substances in order to obtain an identical end product, especially in terms of size and hardness. As a rule, the best proportion between the polymers or rubbers, was 80% of natural rubber and 20% of SBR rubber, but the addition of corrective fillers and vulcanizing agents resulted in an end product with a natural rubber content amounting to some 60%. Thus, an 80% natural rubber mattress only contained 60% of natural rubber! And this was far from perfect.
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3. Hevea natural rubber  The ideal mattress consists for more than 90% of hevea natural rubber and offers the same elastic properties in all directions, and thus is perfectlyisotropous. In addition, this product breathes perfectly and is not temperature sensitive. As a result, it never feels moist or warm to the touch. Other products too use hevea natural rubber. I hereby think of condoms, airplane tires or Formula One tires, weather station balloons… in a word, everything that has to be extremely elastic and stable. To make these 100% hevea natural rubber mattress cores, we needed fresh and identical hevea milk and innovative technical know-how. Therefore, the mattress cores had to be produced in the land of origin of the hevea milk. But what exactly is hevea milk and where do you find the best to make a mattress core?
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4. Hevea Brasiliensis    HEVEA BRASILIENSIS is the name of the rubber-tree. As the name already says, the tree was discovered in 1736 in the Amazon region by the French explorer Charles Marie de la Condamine (1701-1775) who brought the rubber to France as a curiosity. All throughout the world, we find trees that, when injured or damaged by insects, secrete a liquid substance that by solidification prevents fungi or bacteria from penetrating into the tree. As a pine-tree secretes resin or a maple-tree produces maple juice, the Hevea Brasiliensis or rubber-tree produces a milky juice, also called latex, that solidifies into a rubbery mass. An English pharmacist discovered that this mass could be used to rub out pencil. In fact, the product name “rubber” is borrowed from the English “to rub”. This rubber especially has elastic and water-repellent properties. In 1839, it was discovered that the rubber and sulfur under influence of heating-up, the so-called vulcanization process, result in a rubber that remains strong and solid in a temperature range from 0°C to 100° C. Since then the product has been used to waterproof textile, to manufacture car and bicycle tires, chewing gum, paint, …, condoms, etc. Rubber really became an important industrial product. The demand for rubber became really huge and in other regions of the world too, plantations were laid out. Especially the English sent young plants to their Asian tropical colonies, such as Sri Lanka or Singapore. The Portuguese mainly started plantations in Central Africa. Indeed, it was found that the tree only grows well in a moist and warm climate. To tap the milk juice, an incision is made in the outer cambium of the tree. As a result, the latex vessels are cut through and the juice flows out of the tree. Under the incision, a little pot is attached to collect the juice. After some time, this milk solidifies through coagulation. To keep it liquid, a drip of ( aqueous) ammonia can be added. Coagulated rubber is dried and pressed to make shoe soles, boots, insulation or building materials, etc. To make mattress cores, we need liquid latex. For the Green Sleep products, this liquid latex is bought in North Malaysia, from independent farmers, who have for several years now, been planting the trees that were selected in cooperation with the National Rubber Institute in Kuala Lumpur. Just as for apples, pears or vines, a graft of the parent plant is engrafted on the sprig in order to always become the same tree. After many years of selection, we succeeded in tapping the appropriate hevea milk juice to be able to mold identical mattress cores in several degrees of hardness.
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5. Hevea milk
At present, the prices for rubber and especially for hevea milk juice are extremely high. These prices are mainly determined by the ever increasing world price induced by the increasing demand, but also by the daily wage as some 40 hours’ work are required to collect enough hevea milk to produce one of our mattresses…
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6 . Processing
The fresh and identical hevea milk is supplied after centrifugation according to the stipulations of an ISO 2004 certificate. The solid matter is separated from the water. In a complex computer-controlled program, this solid matter is intermixed with air and a minimum, i.e. +/- 5%, of amongst other things vulcanizing agents, such as sulfur, zinc oxide, accelerator and antioxidant. None of these additives is toxic! I hereby refer to the tests and certificates enclosed to this document.
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8. Note In several third-world countries, 100% natural latex mattresses are manufactured according to traditional methods. In most cases, these mattresses are sold on the local market. Mostly, these products have a bread crumbs’ structure or the mattress is much too hard. The durability and the hygienic circumstances under which the product is manufactured are not acceptable for Western consumption. In most cases, the rinsing water is infected with bacteria. These products regularly turn up on the Western market and are often sold at dumping prices “factory direct” by mail-order firms or on trade fairs. These products seriously damage the reputation of the “natural products”. Always ask for the composition certificates, the certificates of origin and the QUL quality mark!
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9. Guarantee  All Green Sleep organic hevea mattress cores are guaranteed for 10 years. Each mattress has its own certificate of origin and directions for use. Do not forget that all mattresses acidify because of perspiration and deform after some time dependent on your weight. We therefore advise you to have your mattress checked after approximately 8 years by a Green Sleep advisor.
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