VIP Balloons take our responsibility as balloon artists seriously and always follow the QBN, NABAS and BAPIA Codes of Conduct. We support the work of The Pro Environment Balloon Alliance (PEBA) and the Green Balloon Campaign in educating the public on the safe and responsible use of balloons.
Latex Balloons
Latex balloons come from rubber trees. Latex is collected by cutting the tree’s bark, then catching the latex in a cup and harvesting does not hurt the tree. Latex balloons are Earth-friendly! Rubber tree’s grow in rain forests and latex harvesting discourages deforestation because latex-producing trees are left intact. A tree can produce latex for up to 40 years.
The latex balloons we use are 100% latex, with natural colours meaning that they fully degrade at the same rate as an oak leaf. Pioneer Balloon International have confirmed that they source the latex for Qualatex Balloons from a Rainforest Alliance Certified Plantation
The Rainforest Alliance is a growing network of farmers, foresters, communities, scientists, governments, environmentalists, and businesses dedicated to conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods. They are an international non-profit organisation working to build strong forests, healthy agricultural landscapes, and thriving communities through creative, pragmatic collaboration.
Helium
Helium is a non-toxic, non-flammable, inert gas that naturally occurs in the air we breathe. It is considered to be a safe gas but should never be inhaled intentionally as it can cause suffocation and instant death.
The following is a statement from the leading supplier of balloon gas, BOC:
“It’s important to be aware that there is a distinction between pure, liquid helium and impure, gaseous helium. Gas companies prioritise supplies of pure, liquid helium for critical medical uses e.g. MRI scanners in hospitals, ensuring that they can remain fully operational.
Helium for balloons is a different product – it is impure and gaseous and produced as a by-product of supplying liquid helium for the MRI market – a market which makes up about forty percent of the helium business in the UK. Impure, gaseous helium cannot be used directly in medical MRI scanners or in other applications that use super-conducting magnets. Impure helium can be recovered by the customer and reliquefied if the customer has the necessary plant on site, and if not, it can still be recovered and reprocessed for use in the balloon market.
Industrial gas companies do support the recovery and reprocessing of helium to ensure that every opportunity is taken to recycle and reuse this important resource. Historically, recovery has only been viable for large users of helium, but new opportunities are consistently being reviewed and implemented with customers to help them conserve and reuse their helium.
For the future, there is still plenty of helium on our planet, with investments being made to bring various new sources on-stream in the coming years. The locations and environments of these new sources will mean the market price for helium is expected to continue to rise, but making these investments will mean that helium will continue to be available for many years to come. Rising prices in the market will also drive an increase in investment in the means by which customers can recover more of their own helium.”
Balloon Races and Releases
At VIP Balloons we no longer support balloon releases as, although we believe the balloons we use cause no harm to the environment or animals, others who do not follow the same codes of conduct as we do, have caused problems in the past. The industry as a whole wants to educate the public to ‘Pin It and Bin It’, safely disposing and recycling balloons after their use.
Helium Filled Balloons
VIP Balloons always provides weights with all their helium balloons and encourages their clients to ‘Pin It and Bin It’ when they are finished with them. No balloons should be released, especially foil balloons, or those tied in clusters or with ribbons attached, as these can cause harm.
Recycling
Our latex balloons are fully biodegradable can be put with your other compostable waste. At VIP Balloons we always recycle where we can, separating our waste and reusing items where possible.
