Latex prices increase - what can you do about it?

Sometimes it is hard to think about the weather affecting the prices of products you use everyday. It is especially hard when it’s happening on the other side of the world. Well, due to heavy rains in Southeast Asia, where most rubber is farmed, speculators predict raw latex will only continue to increase through the remainder of the year and into early next year. Already latex has reached an all time high, so it is hard to predict how much higher it is going to get before the prices hopefully start to come back down.

The latex supply naturally decreases in the winter months, due to colder climate making it slower to collect, so weather will always play a role in the production of a natural product. However, prices have continued to rise. Looking back on pricing from October 2009 versus October 2010, there has been over a 58% increase in the price of raw latex. This is due to the demand for other products, such as tires, putting increased supply and pricing pressure on the latex used for disposable gloves.

So how can you compete with a raw material price increase that shows no signs of lowering? Finding alternatives to latex gloves is a great way to do that. Both nitrile and vinyl gloves are man-made, non-latex products. As the price of latex has increased and the use of disposable gloves grows, the alternative glove market has developed more and better options. There are nitrile gloves that outperform latex in durability, and vinyl gloves that can dramatically cut the price of using gloves. Although their prices are directly related to the current price of oil, right now their current price is more stable than that of latex.

Another way to avoid getting hit with these increases is to stock up before the prices soar. When the price of latex at the source is raised, the market will not see those new price increases until about 90 days afterward. It isn’t too often that you are given this amount of time to prepare for price hikes, so why not get product you know you will need at a price you know will be better?

Latex, no matter what the price, will continue to be a staple in the glove world. But with no end in sight of increased pricing, it might be time to see what alternatives you have – and maybe find a product that works for you and saves you money.