ETHLETIC SportsballsFAQ's:
- How is the Fairtrade premium spent? How do we know the money is being used properly?
- Why are sports balls not delivered inflated?
- How long will it take for a sports ball to reach me after ordering?
- What is the difference between our footballs and the major brands?
- What is the difference between footballs offered by Fair Deal Trading and cheap footballs?
- What are the quality criteria for Footballs?
- My Sports ball is losing air - is this normal?
- What are balls made of?
- Who monitors that the fair trade criteria are complied with?
My Sports ball is losing air - is this normal?
Balls supplied by us have (with a few exceptions for technical reasons) natural latex bladders - for environmental as well as quality reasons, (all top quality footballs use latex bladders). Starting with the ETHLETIC range, these bladders are made of fairly traded rubber with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.
Latex is a natural raw material, and bladders made from latex will lose air "naturally" over time (unlike bladders made with artificial latex, which essentially is made from petroleum). Should this happen, it suffices to repump the ball a little. However, should the ball supplied by FairDeal Trading lose air in a noticeable manner in the cause of days or even hours, then something is wrong and you should get in touch with us to arrange for a replacement. Since our balls are stitched by hand, it can happen in rare instances that the bladder is punctured during the final stitches (done blindly), and the final quality control can not always find such small leaks.