Transforming The Rubber Industry From Within
At GPSNR, we bring together companies, smallholders, academia and civil society to transform the natural rubber supply chain into a sustainable, equitable and fair one. You can find more information about why we do this here.
To know more about our vision of an equitable and environmentally sound supply chain, take a look at our Theory of Change and Desired State here.
How It Works
GPSNR is governed by a General Assembly and an Executive Committee that is elected by members. This work is driven by members who are focused on the following areas currently.
Assurance Model
Themes:
- Due Diligence Supply Chain Mapping
- Risk Assessment
Currently working on:
- Assurance Protocol
- Remediation Protocol Claims
- Public consultation on Assurance and Remediation Protocol
Shared Responsibility
Currently working on:
- Shared Responsibility Framework (Finalised)
- Value transfer mechanism
- Terms of Reference here
Smallholders Representation & Capacity Building (SCB) Working Group
Task Forces:
- Digital Knowledge Sharing Platform
- HCSA-HCVN Field Trials
- Income Diversification / Rubber Agroforestry
- Smallholders Policy Equivalent
Country Specific Subworking Groups:
- Indonesia
- Thailand
Currently working on:
- GAP projects in Indonesia and Thailand
- Agroforestry projects in Thailand, Cote d Ivoire, Indonesia and Liberia
- Content Development for Digital Knowledge Sharing Platform
- Smallholders Inclusion Activities
- WG Terms of reference here
Tools and Guidance
- Operational Guidance for EUDR
- Thailand’s Legal Framework of relevance to smallholder rubber farmers (produced by European Forest Institute)
- Indonesia’s Legal Framework of relevance to smallholder rubber farmers (produced by European Forest Institute)
- Due Diligence Manual
- Implementation Guidance
- Risk tool
- Due Diligence Glossary
- GPSNR and PEFC / FSC Crosswalk
Currently working on:
- National Risk Assessments
- Consultation on Assurance and Remediation Protocol
- Capacity Building Call for Proposals
WHAT WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS:
ASSURANCE
For a sustainable, equitable and fair natural rubber value chain, GPSNR is setting up an assurance model based on a risk based approach. This means that various structural components of this model work together to improve compliance across the supply chain and improve outcomes for all stakeholders.
VIRTUOUS CYCLE – SUPPLIER SCORE CONTRIBUTES TO BUYER SCORE
POLICY FRAMEWORK
IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
(based on company own implementation plan, to be vetted yearly by GPSNR)
SCORING
(Impact Based)OWN OPERATIONS
SCORE
SOURCING
SCORE
SHARED ACTIONS
(in kind and / or financial contributions to industry wide capacity building, conservation and risk mapping / mitigation are considered)
SCORE
GPSNR CONFORMANCE (B2B CLAIM)
Transparent Reporting Throughout, Via Reporting Requirements
Risk Based Approach Agreed At GPSNR Level
Key Milestones
- All
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
June
GPSNR members finalised an assurance model that gives them a stage based process to commit to, implement and verify sustainability practices in their operations. You can read more about this here.
July
Members approved a Shared Investment Framework which includes details on how companies will make annual financial and in-kind contributions to long term capacity building for natural rubber smallholders.
July
The GPSNR General Assembly approves the Shared Responsibility framework for the platform. This approach brings the entire industry closer to addressing inequity in a systemic, long-term approach, with well-defined goals and milestones.
July
GPSNR launched its quarterly podcast series ‘The Rubber Road’, with each episode focussing on a timely issue that the industry is grappling with.
February
The platform welcomed VF Corporation in its fold as GPSNR’s first member outside the automobile industry.
December
By the end of the year, five capacity building projects in Indonesia, Thailand and Cote d Ivoire coached almost 7500 smallholders on disease fighting, agroforestry and good agricultural practices.
October
In the 2023 General Assembly voted on a timeline to finalise the much awaited GPSNR Assurance Model along with pilot testing.
September
The assurance model task force and shared responsibility working group came together in Singapore to further the work of the structure of the GPSNR assurance model and the three pillars of the shared responsibility framework.
November
GPSNR Platform Director Stefano Savi presented the Shared Responsibility Framework on behalf of the entire industry at COP 27 at the UK Pavilion.
December
Natural rubber is included in the EU Deforestation regulation, and GPSNR continues to engage with relevant stakeholders within the EU and the industry to support the implementation of the regulation in a way that does not adversely affect smallholders and other downstream actors.
January
GPSNR welcomed 22 smallholders as members from Brazil, Ghana, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire.
February
The GPSNR model of work was finalised. This included a revolving executive committee voted in every year and working groups that reported progress to the executive committee.
October
GPSNR is launched after many multi stakeholder workshops as an industry wide platform with membership from civil society, tire makers, producers, processors and traders and other end users.
March
The Policy Toolbox Working Group has selected a combined consultant team of Proforest and Are We There Yet to lead the development of the Implementation Guidance for GPSNR.
February
The Strategy and Objectives Working Group finalised the TOR for an Equity Sub Working group to work on developing a shared definition of equity and assessing the current level of equity (or lack thereof) across the natural rubber supply chain, with the help of studies on Living Wage and Living Income, which will then inform recommendations on what can be done to promote equity along the supply chain.
March
The first GPSNR General Assembly is held, finalising the Code of Conduct and Membership Statutes. Everyone who joined before GA 2019 was then considered a founding member.
April
The Strategy and Objectives Working Group finalises the Desired State document which defines the ideal outcomes and conditions that we aim to create in the natural rubber value chain.
March
The Capacity Building working group established several regional sub-Working Groups, each of which will be responsible for developing country-specific capacity building objectives.
July
The Smallholders Representation Working Group (SWG) was created and assigned to coordinate actions to identify and secure adequate smallholder representation within GPSNR.
