THE COMMODITY ISSUE
The conversation of
wild spaces into rubber
plantations has had a
significant environmental
impact
Photo Shutterstock
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he environmental effects of poorly
planned and managed palm oil are
now very well-known. Another major
global commodity that grows in
similar climes is natural rubber, with vast rubber
tree plantations found throughout the tropics,
particularly in South-East Asia.
Historically, natural rubber has had many
sustainability issues, with expansion causing
both environmental and social problems –
including the deforestation of tropical forest
and extensive land-grabbing in the Mekong. As
global demand for rubber products (especially
tyres) shows no sign of slowing, models of
‘business as usual’ scenarios have predicted
major habitat conversion to rubber plantations
at up to 8.5 million hectares globally.
“BirdLife understands that if we are to
effectively conserve species and habitats, we
need to ensure that the goods demanded by
society can be supplied sustainably,” said Martin
Hollands, BirdLife’s Senior Advisor on Business
and Biodiversity, speaking from Singapore,
where he saw natural rubber stakeholders
convene for the inaugural General Assembly
of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural
Rubber (GPSNR). This independent platform will
lead to improvements in the socio-economic
and environmental performance of the natural
rubber value chain.
The platform has already secured the
membership of 65% of the world’s tyre
producers, so it is set to make a significant
change in the industry. Other members of
the platform include rubber suppliers and
processors, vehicle makers and NGOs –
including BirdLife as a Founder Member.
Representatives from each of these stakeholder
groups have contributed to the development
of the Singapore-based platform and the wide-
reaching set of priorities that will define GPSNR’s
strategy and objectives.
BirdLife has been a strong advocate of the
need to bring the whole rubber value chain
together – from tree to tyre. The importance
T
Rubber trees, Thailand
Photo Bangprikphoto/
Shutterstock
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JUL-SEP 2019 • BIRDLIFE
of smallholder rubber production is key to its
sustainability, but this also makes the value chain
incredibly complex.
Bringing different stakeholders together has
required many steps in building trust. Reacting
to the formation of the Executive Committee,
GPSNR Director Stefano Savi said: “The
appointment of the Executive Committee is a
critical piece to a landmark achievement. It has
taken considerable effort from all stakeholders
to bring us to this point. We know that the
real hard work lies ahead, but it sends a clear
message – the GPSNR is open for business.”
“For commodities that have had a large
historical footprint on tropical forests, to
become sustainable all stakeholders along the
value chain need to work together”, says Patricia
Zurita, BirdLife’s Chief Executive. “BirdLife is
therefore delighted to join the Global Platform,
and to help the sector understand, and address,
its sustainability issues.”
Next steps focus on preventing land-grabbing
and deforestation, protecting biodiversity and
water resources, improving yields, increasing
supply chain transparency and traceability and
improving respect for human rights.
The development of the GPSNR was initiated
by the CEOs of the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Tire Industry
Project (TIP) in November 2017. The launch of
the platform comes with strong commitments
from GPSNR members, but turning aspirations
into practice will take time, and there may be
bumps in the road on the way to sustainability.
Rubber itself is a natural product, harvested
by ‘tapping’ the bark of the rubber tree and
collecting the liquid latex sap in small cups.
As part of our strategy to end deforestation,
BirdLife will continue to monitor the progress
of the rubber industry to ensure this natural
product is nature-friendly.
Find out more: www.trilliontrees.org/sectoral-
change/rubber
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