Sustain’s systems-based approach to condoms looks at everything from where the tree’s latex is harvested from, the type of sex couples have when they use them, and of course how the condom is disposed of. Sustain condoms use latex derived from the worlds only Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified rubber plantation. We ensure that there’s no child labor involved with the harvest and that the children of rubber tappers are hanging out at school rather than in the fields. Medical care and education are free and so far 100% of the kids have gone onto college.
FSC certification monitors the use of chemicals on the plantation and even tracks the biodiversity of virtually every plant, insect and animal species to ensure that not only the latex is safe, but everything in, on and around the forest is also adequately cared for.
Our condoms carry a lot of other certifications as well, an awful lot for a comparatively little product. Sustain is Vegan certified so if you don’t want any animal or animal byproducts in your condoms, you shouldn’t have any. We had the Vegan Awareness Foundation check up on us. And we passed.
Sustain is also GMO free, and while at the moment there is no such thing as commercially available genetically modified rubber that we’re aware of, given the way things are going, you never know what’s in development. So we decided we’d have our product tested to see if the molecules of our rubber had been altered anyway. They weren’t.
Sustain is also not tested on animals. Though there is animal testing done in the condom industry, the type of FDA application we received doesn’t require it so we, of course, didn’t do it.
And lastly, in the beginning of 2014, we expect to become a certified B-Corporation. Not familiar with B Corps? It’s a legal standard that meshes perfectly with our own sustainability philosophy —ensuring the business interests of investors are carefully managed in balance with the interests of other stakeholders—including the environment, employees, and customers.
