Thailand - Latex Manufacuturer

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi,

I live in Asia therefore most US/UK based online companies do not ship there, or risking to void the warranty, or shipping cost is horrendous expensive (half of the bed). After going through Mattress Underground for a week or so of hours of reading daily, I am looking for a >95% natural latex king size bed, no synthetic stuff. I trust the GOLS certification since it seems legit and there doesn’t seem to have much complains over the web.

Looking at Taobao or Tmall (Alibaba in China), there a few resellers that sell latex layers like LSK, Lien’ A which are GOLS certified but calling their subsidiary, they said they do not import GOLS grade to the China market. They offered me a SGS test result showing that there are >90 natural latex but I could not find it on the SGS database. So I am left with going to Thailand manufactured latex since it seems the most reliable(?).

I narrowed down into two manufacturers and they are: Theptex & Latex Systems Co… Their cerifications on their website are Theptex Cert. and Latex System Cert.. I must admit, I am impressed with Theptex’s story but their certification, especially the Rubber Authority of Thailand and iFoam, seems lacking in convincibility. I have heard of Latex System before on this website and it feels legit but their certification for Thai Industrial Standard looks weird too. Maybe I am just too in my head for a GOLS standard?

Please share your experience if you have owned either one of these latex mattresses, or anything about the certifications. I am glad they have safety standards like ECO Institut, LGA. Does any certification on those list really guarantees an all natural latex layer and not some blended “natural” latex.

P.S: Where I can read the full report of Eco institut?

Thank you for reading all this, I really appreciate it! =)

2

Hey Justneedsomehelp,

Welcome to The Mattress Underground :slight_smile: ! Thanks for joining us here and for your question.

Before getting too far into a natural latex/ GOLS certifications and the China market discussion, where are you located, generally speaking, so I can get a better fix on researching your questions? I did visit Theptex and Latex Systems’ web sites and checked out their certifications, both having numerous ones indicating seemingly quality natural latex standards. Some manufacturers will make these certifications available as a .pdf download, useful for consumers to make product comparisons but neither company offered those. You could also search both of their products on Alibaba and see what certifications they list in those descriptions, they would have to submit proof of those before listing on the site or risk their products being removed.

The eco-INSTITUT report can be viewed from their website in the category of Bedding Goods, both Theptex and Latex Systems have current certifications for components listed in the “Certified Products” section for each company, I’ve linked them too for your convenience. Hope this helps and keep us posted on your research.

Thanks,
Sensei

3

Hi sensei,

Thank you for your reply! I live in Macau (the gambling city?). I have checked their certification and emailed them asking for reports (they haven’t replied). In Alibaba they post the a picture of ECO institute certification and a picture of a page of SGS report stating it’s 93% or 96% natural latex. The SGS code is hard to see but still, I could not find a it in the SGS database.

Alibaba sellers assured me that it is 95% natural latex by convincing that a ECO institut is very stringent in their standards and only 30ish some manufacturers of latex in the world is qualifed (really?). Also they have an official reseller cert. and etc. But still nothing secures it is 95% natural and no blends. I feel like I need someone to convince me that it is truly natural. Does eco institut test out the natural latex? Although it states there cannot be a filler greater than 5%, but a blended latex is still natural am I correct?

The seller also said that theptex is a better quality product in craftsmanship compare to a LSK or Lien A. His argument is that theptex is founded by a French person. After doing some research, I found that the founder was also the founder and factory director for latex system co.

4

Additional Information:

Here are some pictures of the latex from Buyers (1) and , Buyers (2), and Reseller’s ads. From their ads, it states that lines (folds) appearing from surface and sides are perfectly normal, and edges ( see right side, missing a littble bit) are imperfect since it is a man-made product. They also say that this does not result a drop in performance and there are no exchange of product.

It that normal? Since I see all these reviews and youtube videos online and they all have a perfect straight line with no imperfections when they try to sell their product.

5

Sorry for all these seperate replies.

Currently there are a few brands I can choose from:

Lien’ A
LSK
Theptex
Latex System Co.
Vita Talalay (do not know which product line natural or other blended latex, and I also read that talalay could not be made with 100% natural latex due to the manufacturing process it requires some amount of synthetic latex to be added?).

6

Hey Justneedsomehelp,

Thanks for clarifying your geographic proximity, just getting my bearings on what options you may have for shopping and comparisons.

Briefly, let’s break down eco-INSTITUT and SGS certificates for other consumers who may have similar questions. Each are voluntary compliance measures involving various controlled testing conditions which upon successful completion receive the qualifying certification.

Eco-INSTITUT is a German certification for consumer products measuring VOCs, SVOCs, formaldehyde, heavy metals, pesticides, and other chemical substances that can be released when a mattress off-gasses. The certificate is issued following a variety of tests and provides information such as a full declaration of materials used, limit values for harmful substances, laboratory examinations for Voc’s, and much more. You can see an example of one from eco-INSTITUTS’s site here.

SGS/ Société Générale de Surveillance is a Swiss certification and one of the oldest inspection, testing, verification and certification entities in the world, insuring that products meet various standards set by markets and regions globally. Often, manufacturers will seek out specific certificates best-suited towards their marketing stories as a way to build consumer trust, transparency and differentiate their brand where additional product testing is important to the consumer.

The testing and certification by eco-INSTITUT is only for measuring chemical substances; it is not an indicator of how the latex is processed in terms of a percent of “natural” vs. “blended”. Thus, the Alibaba seller’s assurance regarding eco-INSTITUT’s “stringent” standards assures you that their products are safe from exposure to potential off-gassing chemicals, not a guarantee that their latex is “natural”.

If the description states “95% natural”, the other 5% is generally SBR/ Styrene Butadiene, a synthetic binder that when blended with natural latex enhances its natural properties and adds longevity, you can read more about this in Phoenix’s article “Latex- Pros and Cons”.

[quote]From their ads, it states that lines (folds) appearing from surface and sides are perfectly normal, and
edges ( see right side, missing a littble bit) are imperfect since it is a man-made product. They also say that this does not result a drop in performance and there are no exchange of product. It that normal? Since I see all these reviews and youtube videos online and they all have a perfect straight line with no imperfections when they try to sell their product.
[/quote]

You won’t be sleeping on a raw bun (what the rolled latex in these images are called), and the finished product will be covered in a ticking of some kind and perhaps also involving other comfort/ support layers, so the appearance part wouldn’t matter unless the latex is poorly seamed or has degraded in some way before shipping. Without knowing these manufacturers or having a way to test the mattress yourself, there is no way to judge its quality by images alone. What concerns me most is that “there are no exchange of product” statement, leaving you no recourse should you not be happy with your purchase.

The term “talalay” refers to one of two latex manufacturing processes, the second being Dunlop. While it is possible to formulate a completely natural rubber version, the results are of the softest ILD’s and not as durable long-term as a blended version of talalay latex would be, you will read about this in the article I linked above for you. BTW, did you see anything of interest from Lien`A or any of the other manufacturers you are considering?

Thanks,
Sensei

7

Did you ever end up choosing one of these? Can you share your experience? I’m in Hong Kong and looking at the same market. Cheers