Balloons ... why we no longer stock them.

Earlier this year we made a big decision to no longer supply balloons to our customers.

They were one of our biggest sellers!

We had sold them previously believing them to be biodegradable and, if disposed of correctly, would pose no threat to wildlife.

Read that blog here. 

We took this advice from many sources including the BalloonCouncil (TBC) - an international network of manufacturers, distributors, decorators, retailers and entertainers for the balloon industry - which was established in 1990.
 
However over the past year we have felt uneasy about their and other's eco friendly claims relating to balloons, despite almost all retail websites claiming balloons were biodegradable also.

So we did some more research and discovered there was more to the story.

Firstly we wiped the slate clean, believing the Balloon Council as a network of manufacturers, distributors, retailers etc. have a vested interest in the sale of latex balloons and painting a positive light on their eco credentials, so they could not really be taken seriously as a verifiable industry body.

Also, nowhere on the Council's list of members were environmental groups to support these claims of safety for the environment.

Secondly our own first hand tests included seeing our own balloons decompose extremely slowly in our own open air compost.

We had also left a balloon behind from a party once and our beloved golden retriever ate it. Fortunately he didn't choke, but it shows you that even dogs, as well as all type of animal, bird and sea life, can mistake balloons for food.

We looked further into claims of balloons using chemicals, plasticizers and artificial dyes and realised that maybe all that is natural about balloons is just the rubber latex.