GPSNR Staff

GPSNR Working Groups Update: November 2021

It’s been a busy month, to say the least! If you haven’t had the chance to take stock of everything that has happened, here is the update: 

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

The group has finalised the Theory of change, which is currently in the process of being designed for public communications. They have also published the Environmental Risk Study, which can be found here

Currently, the group is working on developing the RFP for the Economic Risk Study. 

Smallholder Representation Working Group

After three successful smallholder onboarding workshops for smallholders from Indonesia, India and Cambodia since July 2021, the working group completed three more onboarding workshops for Thailand, Ivory Coast and Sri Lanka. 

More than 80 smallholders from all three countries participated, and the working group is now working on inducting those who apply for membership into the GPSNR ecosystem. The group is also busy with the fourth smallholder international call of 2021 on 25th November to prepare smallholders for GA 2021, as well as to seek smallholders’ views on plans for 2022. 

Policy Toolbox Working Group

The group has finalised the reporting requirements which have been put up for vote to all ordinary members before the General Assembly on 14th December. Take a look at the resolution here.

Capacity Building Working Group

This month, the group worked on presenting GPSNR’s position on rubber agroforestry at COP 26 via the agroforestry Task Force and completed the first review of the GPSNR Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs).The GAP Task Force is now working on finalising the GAPs, including preparations for pre-GA webinar on 2 December 2021, while a separate Task Force has started work  on commencing developments on the GPSNR Knowledge Sharing Platform. The work on the strategy review and implementation plans for Indonesia and Ivory Coast remain in progress. 

Traceability and Transparency Working Group

This working group has finalised the traceability benchmark internally, and will be holding a introducing the document  during the pre-GA webinar on 30th December 2021. The document will go out for broader consultation among the membership soon. The WG will also  provide a summary of possible tools to the EC based on traceability studies conducted last year. 

Shared Responsibility Working Group

The group has discussed and explored solutions to identified root causes for each focus area of shared responsibility. It is also continuing to draft activities and a framework for Shared Responsibility for integration into other processes such as the Implementation Guidance, which will include consultations with GPSNR members and WGs to ensure alignment on Shared Responsibility for the platform. 

GPSNR Working Groups Update: October 2021

It’s been a busy month, to say the least! If you haven’t had the chance to take stock of everything that has happened, here is the update: 

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

After conducting 2 sessions of the Theory of Change (ToC) Workshop last  month, the Strategy and Objectives working group will soon finalise the ToC document and potentially identify new strategies for GPSNR. They are also working on developing a Request for Proposals for the Economic Risk Study. If you are interested in working on this RFP, please let Aidan know (aidan@gpsnr.org)

Smallholder Representation Working Group

After three successful smallholder onboarding workshops for smallholders from Indonesia, India and Cambodia over the last two months, the working group is formally incorporating new smallholders from the three countries as GPSNR members. 28 new smallholders from Indonesia have already been accepted as members. The group will also be conducting onboarding workshops for Sri Lanka, Thailand and Ivory Coast, and is facilitating smallholder EC nominations ahead of the 2021 General Assembly on 14th December.

Policy Toolbox Working Group

As the General Assembly of 2021 comes closer, the group has met numerous times in October to finalize the Reporting Requirements. . 

Capacity Building Working Group

After finalising the agroforestry position paper via the Agroforestry Task Force, the Capacity Building Working Group is busy finalising the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), a system to monitor impacts of capacity building activities, implementation plans for Ivory Coast and Indonesia as well as developing key deliverables and milestones for the Thailand national sub working group. 

Traceability and Transparency Working Group

This working group is conducting member consultations on the recently developed Traceability Benchmark, and will provide recommendations on the same to the EC based on traceability studies from last year. At the same time, they are developing a TOR for a new working group on risk assessment.

Shared Responsibility Working Group

The group has discussed and explored solutions to identified root causes for each focus area of shared responsibility. It is also continuing to draft activities and a framework for Shared Responsibility for integration into other processes such as the Implementation Guidance, which will include consultations with GPSNR members and WGs to ensure alignment on Shared Responsibility for the platform. 

GPSNR Working Groups Update: September 2021

What an interesting month has passed us by! As we step closer to the General Assembly of 2021, here’s what the working groups have on their plate:

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

After conducting 2 sessions of the Theory of Change (ToC) Workshop this month, the Strategy and Objectives working group will soon finalise the ToC document and potentially identify new strategies for GPSNR.

Smallholder Representation Working Group

After two successful smallholder onboarding workshops for smallholders from Indonesia and Cambodia, the working group is formally incorporating new smallholders from the two countries as GPSNR members. The group is also conducting onboarding workshops for India at the end of September and Sri Lanka and Thailand in October. 

At the same time, they are developing workshops to onboard more smallholders from Vietnam, Thailand, Ivory Coast, and Ghana and organizing the third Smallholders International Call next month. 

Policy Toolbox Working Group

As the General Assembly of 2021 comes closer, the group is continuing to develop the Implementation Guidance, Reporting Requirements and Compliance Panel Guidance. 

Capacity Building Working Group

As they develop key deliverables and milestones for Thailand National Subgroup and the Agroforestry Task Force, the Capacity Building Working Group is also busy with the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), a system to monitor impacts of capacity building activities and implementation plans for Ivory Coast and Indonesia.

Traceability and Transparency Working Group

This working group has developed a Traceability Benchmark to support member uptake of traceability and provided draft input and received feedback for Implementation Guidance on traceability. They are now working on finalising the draft and conducting member consultations on the Benchmark. 

Shared Responsibility Working Group

The group is currently exploring and discussing detailed  solutions to identified root causes for each focus area of shared responsibility. It is also drafting activities and a framework for Shared Responsibility for integration into other processes such as the Implementation Guidance.

Amy Smith and Pierre Bois d’Enghien talk about creating a Policy Framework for sustainability and equity in natural rubber

‘’Taking the first step even when you don’t see the entire staircase’’: Amy Smith and Pierre Bois d’Enghien talk about creating a Policy Framework for sustainability and equity in natural rubber

                                                                            Bani Bains, Communications Manager, GPSNR

GPSNR offers a unique common ground, for peers to engage from across a complex supply chain. This makes it possible for us to have a more holistic perspective of each others’ challenges and aspirations for a sustainable and equitable natural rubber supply chain.

For Amy Smith and Pierre Bois d’Enghien, co-chairs of the Policy Toolbox and Implementation Guidance Working Group, the aspirations and challenges of all member categories became most apparent as they worked on putting together the GPSNR Policy Framework, which was adopted by the General Assembly in 2020. Today, all member companies must comply with the policy framework within six months of their membership into GPSNR.

As the first batch of member companies publish policies that are in line with the policy framework, Amy and Pierre had a conversation with me about the journey so far, and how the framework guides their current work around the development of different aspects of GPSNR’s assurance model.


BB: To start off, for anyone who isn’t familiar with GPSNR, could you very quickly tell us what the policy framework does and who it is for?

AS: The policy framework guides the company members at GPSNR with a common set of commitments for sustainable natural rubber. This aligns all categories in their pursuit of a sustainable supply chain and ensures we’re all headed in the same direction to uphold a specific set of environmental, social and economic values. The alignment is key in achieving GPSNR’s goals.

PB: The adoption of the policy framework across the supply chain also denotes a shared responsibility towards GPSNR’s objectives.

AS: Beyond these, there are also benefits for companies to have a policy. It can help companies to orient their actions to achieve sustainability, it can also help in engagement with their shareholders and in reflecting leadership. The next step after this, of course, is putting their policies into action, for which we are working on Implementation Guidance.

BB: If you were to go down memory lane, what was the process like of creating this policy framework from scratch? Is there any particular meeting or memory that stands out as an ‘aha’/goosebumps moment?

AS: We started with looking at the Accountability Framework for best practice guidance for developing a policy to develop the main elements of the framework: the policy components. With that in mind, we formed a drafters’ group which included some working group members including Pierre and myself, a representative from the Accountability Framework and two consultants. This group developed the first draft of the policy framework and then facilitated the incorporation of suggestions from other working group members.

What stands out for me is that it was a very, very long process – do you have anything in mind Pierre?

PB: Yes! Just to remind you, I joined the working group and the drafters’ group only in February 2020. By then, Amy and team had already taken care of a lot of work. But after I joined, I recall that it took us a long time to discuss all the components of the policy framework. Each word, each sentence, each idea had very important outcomes linked to them. It was a big feat to reach consensus, and sometimes that meant compromise among civil society and industry members. I think it took us almost one year to decide on the 37 components of the policy framework.

AS: Yes, there was painstaking detail to choose every word in the framework, and several rounds of consultation. Another challenge was the fact that we couldn’t have face to face meetings – and so reaching consensus took even longer than what we expected.

PB: Do you know the 80:20 rule? 80% of the work was completed before I joined, but the final 20% took 90% of the time. And even now, some of the language may need to be tweaked, especially as companies are now adopting these policies and are looking to move into implementation.

BB: Was the framework designed to be a ‘do no harm framework’ covering the minimum requirements from companies, or was it meant to go above and beyond that?

AS: I would consider legality as the minimum for companies to be complying with, but the actions proposed in the policy framework take quite a bit of work and go well beyond that.

Rubber supply chains are very complex, and getting visibility on the ground can be daunting, but it isn’t impossible. And that’s what civil society players are stressing upon: the fact that you need to have transparency on the ground.

BB: And was that a point of contention during the discussions leading up to the policy framework?

AS: We did a lot of discussion around clauses 7.1 and 7.2, and how to deal with the fact that the majority of rubber comes from smallholders.

I think there is another piece to this puzzle – which is that the processors, who are going to be doing a majority of the work, want some assurance from the downstream, that they’re going to be supported financially and technically in doing that work.

PB: Each conversation had a watermark of a significant question: who is going to pay for externalities? While we don’t have answers to some of these questions even now, the policy framework as it stands serves as a good starting point in a continuously evolving, complex but very exciting process.

BB: Did either of you have any non-negotiables in the policy framework that you would have not compromised on?

AS: Ah, yes! The commitment to no deforestation and having a cut-off date was important, because without that you can never define what deforestation is. We spent a lot of time on these points. And then there are others, like the commitment to human rights and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), which we would have insisted on – but we didn’t have to because they were included straight away.

That alignment always existed across the board, because we are all committed to the principles of GPSNR. Nobody was saying those parts of the framework shouldn’t be there, though how they were framed was debated at length. This is because that would directly inform the implementation.

PB: From my side, the one non-negotiable was to use the HCV and HCS approach as the only tool to implement the zero deforestation policy. It was globally agreed among the members, but we were very cautious about the words.

BB: What can companies that have adopted the policy framework do before the implementation guidance is developed?

AS: There are several companies that have been active in this space for years now. And they’ve been contributing to the various working groups in applying their on ground knowledge to the requirements and tools. Beyond that, doing everything they can to achieve supply chain transparency is critical to be able to prioritize areas for action and to make any eventual claims about rubber’s sustainability.  You can’t have sustainability unless you know the origin of your raw material.  Companies can also refer to the Accountability Framework’s operational guidance for support regarding how to put their policies into practice while GPSNR’s Implementation Guidance is being finalized. 

PB: They might know more than they think they do! When I start to write a sustainability report for a company, they don’t always have all the data or figures in one place. Most of the time, they have the information, but sometimes don’t know where to find it.

BB: If you had the opportunity to say something to members who may still be hesitant to comply with the policy framework, what would you say?

PB: I can understand fears around implementation and commitment to some components for members who are quite far from the field. But, we still have to find a commitment to reach the desired state. The policy is simply a part of the journey to sustainability, as are the challenges. We are not looking to blame anyone for non-compliance, but encourage intention to comply. So, just be fair, be honest, and do your best. And if you find some challenges in the implementation, bring them to us.

AS: The benefits of having a policy are numerous, including but not limited to: sending a signal internally and externally that the issues covered by the policy are important to the company and that resources and capacity will be dedicated to its implementation; providing clarity on a company’s goals and facilitating the roll-out of company commitments to suppliers upstream and buyers downstream; enabling the effective monitoring and measuring of progress; and supporting a company’s compliance with existing and emerging legislation on avoiding deforestation and upholding human and labor rights.

I think there is a misunderstanding that after a policy is adopted, companies have to be in full compliance with it from day one. That’s not a realistic expectation  for any company; first companies need to understand where they are at as a baseline and from there, they will need to demonstrate continuous improvement. As responsible GPSNR members, companies will have to submit their action plans that outline how they will implement the different parts of their policies. They will also track progress and show continuous improvement through submission of annual reporting to GPSNR.  The working group is currently developing the tools they’ll need to do this – the Implementation Guidance that’s designed to help orient companies on their sustainability journey, and the reporting requirements that are a key element of GPSNR’s assurance model.  We still have a lot of work to do to finalize these two bodies of work, but fortunately, the Policy Framework provides a solid foundation from which to develop them.    


In a complex supply chain historically burdened by social, economic and environmental inequality, the policy framework Pierre and Amy speak of serves as a guiding document for a hopeful future. As GPSNR members take this first step, even though the entire staircase isn’t fully visible just yet, their commitment towards transforming an entire supply chain is commendable.If you’re a GPSNR member looking for support around aligning with the policy framework, please reach out to us at info@gpsnr.org.

PRESS RELEASE: Natural Rubber players adopt policies committed to healthy ecosystems and human rights

Singapore, 24 September 2021: Apollo Tyres, Bridgestone, Continental Tires, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Hankook Tire & Technology, Kumho Tires, Michelin, Nokian Tyres, Pirelli, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, the Toyo Tire Group and the Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. are the first companies to have adopted natural rubber policies that are fully aligned with the policy framework of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR). 

As members of GPSNR, their policies include eight major components: commitment to legal compliance, healthy functioning ecosystems, respecting human rights, community livelihoods, increased production efficiency, supply chain assessment and traceability, monitoring & reporting and driving effective implementation of all these components. According to Sooil Lee, President and CEO of Hankook Tire & Technology, ‘’Together with our supply chain partners, these commitments will help improve the quality of life of the natural rubber cultivators, upgrade quality of natural rubber and minimize environmental impact.’’ 

For Michelin’s Natural Rubber Sustainability Manager Edouard De-Rostolan, ‘’the alignment of commitments among GPSNR members, particularly with regard to the risk-based approach and the continuous improvement model, is a key driver for the platform to fulfill its primary mission, which is to create impacts on the ground in order to enhance the sustainability of the industry as a whole.’’ Pirelli’s Natural Rubber Procurement and Sustainability Manager Ulrich Antoni shared the sentiment, ‘’It’s great to see that more and more GPSNR members have aligned their policies to the GPSNR Policy framework. With the coordinated and concerted effort of GPSNR and all members, the natural rubber industry is directing individual and joint actions towards our shared goals for a sustainable natural rubber future. Pirelli will continue to take a proactive role in the platform and cascade good practices throughout the supply chain, with the ultimate goal of having an impact at the farming level too.’’

The commitment from these tire makers and their active participation within GPSNR reflects on their intent towards implementation.  ‘’In cooperation with the GPSNR Secretariat and stakeholders, we will sincerely implement these policies through our business activities,’’ says Toyo Tires’ Mitch Tamaki. 

To make sure that companies have adequate support to implement these commitments, GPSNR is working on an implementation guidance document and baseline reporting requirements. These will help translate this commitment into implementation. 

‘’All GPSNR members are required to align with the policy framework, and it is heartening to see companies follow through with the process. We are expecting many others to follow suit in the next few weeks.’’ says GPSNR Platform Director Stefano Savi. ‘’The policies serve as a foundation for a structural transformation not just for one company or rubber plantation, but the industry as a whole.’’

The GPSNR policy framework and published policies of  Continental Tires, Hankook Tire & Technology, Michelin, Nokian Tyres, Pirelli, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, the Toyo Tire Group and Yokohama Rubber can be found here. The rest of the policies will be published shortly. 

-Ends-

About GPSNR:  

GPSNR is an international membership driven platform set up to define sustainability for the natural rubber value chain. It brings together various stakeholders to a common ground based on fairness, equity and environmental sustainability. GPSNR member companies account for almost 50 per cent of the global natural rubber volume.  

More on sustainablenaturalrubber.org 

For more information, please contact: 

Bani Bains 

Communications Manager 

Email: bani.bains@gpsnr.org 

Ph: +65 97268165

(CLOSED) Request for Proposal – Webpage design consultancy

Webpage design consultancy

Background

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.

Even though it was launched just in 2018, 50% of the world’s natural rubber demand already finds membership in GPSNR. This is only a small reflection of the amount of work that has taken place over the last three years.

Scope

To document important decisions and milestones and ensure institutional memory is well-recorded, GPSNR is seeking a User Interface/User experience consultant to design three web pages that record a timeline, GPSNR’s assurance roadmap and the structure and overview of its working groups.

Core tasks

Working closely with the GPSNR secretariat, the consultant will:

  • Create and finalize three web-page mockups (wireframes, prototypes, and corresponding user interface components like templates, stylesheets, scripts, images, etc).
  • Include four rounds of feedback for each mockup from the GPSNR secretariat and key stakeholders
  • Integrate components in the CMS to allow review and testing, and make corresponding adjustments based on feedback received.
  • Liaise with GPSNR’s CRM expert to ensure that the mockups are feasible for the GPSNR website
  • Work closely with GPSNR’s Communications Manager on translating content into user oriented design

Terms

  • The engagement will take place for a period of six weeks from 15 October to 26nd November 2021. Interim dates for wireframes and approvals will be mutually agreed upon after confirmation.

Necessary Competencies:

  • Solid understanding of the concepts of user experience, user interface design principles and conceptual design.
  • Expert knowledge in WordPress CMS and Elementor
  • Knowledge of Bootstrap, jQuery and AngularJS, HTML, and Elementor Shortcodes
  • Knowledge of industry-standard design tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver.
  • Knowledge of WordPress Content Management System, particularly with respect to page template design, will be considered an asset.
  • Eye for design and attention to detail are essential.

Submission Guidelines:

The following submission guidelines & requirements apply to this Request for Proposal:

  • Proposals will only be accepted from individuals or firms with experience relevant to this project.
  • Submissions must include
    1) a portfolio of previous work
    2) a paragraph describing how the consultant would approach such a project
    3) a financial proposal with a breakdown of how much each competent of the work would cost.
  • Proposals must be signed by a representative that is authorized to commit to the bidder’s company.
  • Proposals must be received by 4 October 2021 to be considered. Proposals should be submitted to bani.bains@gpsnr.org and stefano.savi@gpsnr.org for consideration.
  • To receive a copy of the draft content, applicants can email bani.bains@gpsnr.org

RFP and Project Timelines

Submission of Proposal 4/10/2021
Selection of top bidders and further conversations 7/10/2021
Contract award/notification to unsuccessful bidders 11/10/2021
Work commences no later than 15/10/2021

Budget

The Platform is anticipating that a total budget of no more than 6,000 Singapore Dollars (SGD) be allocated to this engagement.

Payment terms shall be:

20% at the signing of the contract

30% at the midpoint date to be agreed upon and memorialized in the contract based on the submitted work plan

50% on delivery of the final report

Evaluation Factors

GPSNR will rate proposals based on the following factors:

  • Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this Request for Proposals
  • Relevant past performance / experience and / or any samples of past work
  • Cost, including an assessment of total cost of ownership.
  • Technical expertise/experience of bidder and the bidder’s staff

GPSNR reserves the right to award to the bidder that presents the best value to GPSNR as determined solely by GPSNR in its absolute discretion.

GPSNR Working Groups Update: August 2021

It’s been a month of progress! Here are the updates from each working group:

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

While the working group did not meet this month, they are focussed on finalising the Theory of Change and organising a workshop for the same in September. The group will also continue to work on refining the platform’s external partnerships approval process. 

Smallholder Representation Working Group

After a successful onboarding workshop for Indonesian smallholders, the group is welcoming new smallholder members at GPSNR. They are also planning  similar workshops for smallholders in Srilanka and Cambodia in September. Workshops in India, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana are also being kept in view and will be scheduled as soon as the COVID-19 situation allows.

At the same time, the smallholders will meet to discuss GPSNR’s agroforestry position next month (in tandem with the Capacity Building Working Group). 

Policy Toolbox Working Group

This working group has received draft documents from consultants on three significant aspects of the GPSNR assurance model: the Implementation Guidance, the Reporting Requirements and the Compliance Panel Guidance. 

They are currently focussed on finalising the reporting requirements. For this, they need members to send in their feedback by 30th August. If you haven’t yet done so, please take a look at the form here. This will make it possible for us to vote on the Reporting Requirements by the General Assembly in December 2021. 

The group is also busy revising and finalising the Implementation Guidance, which will be voted on at the General Assembly in early 2021. 

Capacity Building Working Group

The group has completed an initial review of documents on agroforestry, and will now initiate a task force to develop a position on agroforestry. If you are interested in being part of the task force, please contact Aidan and Si Yuan at aidan@gpsnr.org and yeo.siyuan@gpsnr.org respectively. 

They are also starting a national capacity building subgroup in Thailand after Michelin pledged funding for key projects in the country. Should you be interested in joining this subgroup, you can also write to Aidan and Si Yuan! 

Traceability and Transparency Working Group

This working group is currently finalising the definition and acceptable levels of traceability for GPSNR and developing data collection and reporting standards together with the Policy Toolbox working group.

Shared Responsibility Working Group

As a step forward on the discussion about the long term financial model, the group has discussed the preliminary concept of a rubber trust fund. It is now seeking inputs to refine and further develop the foundations of thel model.

GPSNR Working Groups Update: July 2021

As every month seems to be busier than the last, these monthly updates encapsulate all the details that are important for members to know. Here is the snapshot for the month of July 2021:

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

After a busy few months of putting together the Environmental Risk Study and the Theory of Change, this group is preparing to present these two important pieces of work to the rest of the membership before publishing them on public domains.

While the Environmental Risk Study webinar is scheduled for 29 July, the Theory of Change is still being finalised and will be worked on through a workshop planned for September or October.

The group is also continuing to work on refining the platform external partnerships approval process. 

Smallholder Representation Working Group

After an onboarding workshop for Indonesian smallholders this month, the group is planning its next onboarding for Sri Lankan smallholders in September. While COVID-19 has caused a delay in similar workshops for Cambodia and India, the group has begun planning outreach for Liberia and Malaysia and Colombia. 

They are also developing participants lists from workshops to onboard more smallholders from Vietnam, Thailand, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, which already have some amount of representation at GPSNR.

Policy Toolbox Working Group

This working group has completed the initial reviews of two significant aspects of the GPSNR assurance model: the Implementation Guidance and the Reporting Requirements. The WG will also embark on a review of the Compliance Panel Guidance in August. As they take each of these bodies of work forward in the next few months, please reach out to the secretariat for any questions around these documents and how they impact your work. 

Capacity Building Working Group

The group rolled out a call for funding from all rubber industry players (both GPSNR members and non-members) for capacity building work in Indonesia, Thailand and Ivory Coast, while also finalising BMZ funding for projects in Indonesia and Ivory Coast in 2021-22. 

In the next month or so, the group is working on identifying suitable locations for capacity building programmes in Indonesia across five key rubber-producing regions, and advancing implementation plans for Ivory Coast.

They are also finalising Good Agricultural Practices, developing systems for monitoring and evaluating capacity building activities and putting mechanisms in place to ensure national implementation subgroups remain aligned with GPSNR.

Traceability and Transparency Working Group

This working group is currently finalising the definition and acceptable levels of traceability for GPSNR and developing data collection and reporting standards together with the Policy Toolbox working group.

Shared Responsibility Working Group

The group is drafting activities and framework for Shared Responsibility for integration into other processes such as the Implementation Guidance. 

GPSNR Working Groups Update: June 2021

What a month it has been! Here is a deep dive into working groups’ updates and progress:

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

With the finalisation of the Environmental risk assessment of natural rubber production and processing study, this working group has reviewed over 300 pages of environmental risks in the production and processing roles in the natural rubber supply chain. Additionally, the group also identified 16 countries as GPSNR priority production countries. Most importantly, the report covers outcomes and recommendations to mitigate these risks. While you can find the full report here, the co-chairs of the working group will soon be hosting a webinar to take members through the key recommendations and findings. Stay tuned!

The group has also worked on the first draft of the GPSNR Theory of Change, a complex yet interesting piece of work which fits in various pieces of the GPSNR puzzle. You can find it here. A Theory of Change workshop is also being planned on 5th August from 7-10pm SGT. Should you be interested in joining, please write to the secretariat. 

Smallholder Representation Working Group 

Due to the COVID-19 situation in Cambodia and India, the smallholder representation working group has had to postpone onboarding workshops for smallholders in the two countries that were planned for June 2021. 

These workshops would be the first onboarding after the recent smallholder satisfaction survey, and will take into account its key findings. You can read more about the survey and its results in the May 2021 newsletter here

The working group has also identified Sri Lanka and Liberia as two new countries for GPSNR outreach and will initiate strategies around the same, and have began outreach to new smallholders in existing countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Ghana and Ivory Coast)

The second Smallholders International Call of 2021 was also held on 24 June, where smallholder representatives shared and discussed key Working Group updates, as well as the newly-launched GPSNR Grievance Mechanism.

Policy Toolbox Working Group 

After 12 focus group calls and corresponding surveys for the Implementation Guidance and Reporting Requirements, this working group is now finalising these two crucial pieces of work. At the same time, the group is also working on refining and finalising the development of the Compliance Panel operations guidance with an experienced consultant. 

Capacity Building Working Group 

The group is preparing to rollout a call for funding for immediate capacity building needs in Thailand, Indonesia and the Ivory Coast next month. The Ivory Coast and Indonesia national capacity building country subgroups are also preparing to initiate capacity building activities on the ground and these activities could commence from July onwards.

At the same time, the working group is editing and finalising a document on Good Agricultural Practices for all GPSNR capacity building activities. 

Traceability and Transparency Working Group

In collaboration with the Policy Toolbox working group, the Traceability and Transparency working group is developing data collection and reporting standards. The working group also provided draft text on the traceability elements of the Implementation Guidance and will review the feedback received through the focus group surveys.

Shared Responsibility Working Group

After finalising a first round discussion of the problem statements for the natural rubber supply chain, the group has aligned these problem statements with root cause analysis for lack of equity in the supply chain. It has also conducted discussions with different member categories to propose viable solutions. 

The group is now working on proposing potential solutions based on these discussions and will soon present updates to the GPSNR executive committee.

GPSNR unveils first ever collective grievance mechanism in the natural rubber industry

Singapore, 15 June 2021: The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) has unveiled the natural rubber industry’s first ever grievance mechanism. The process provides a platform to address complaints against its members. It also creates a space for collaboration, improved relations and amicable and meaningful solutions amongst stakeholders in the natural rubber value chain. In situations where this is not possible, the Grievance Mechanism offers recourse and seeks to ensure remedy is provided to impacted parties.  

Members and non-members can now use this process to address existing concerns regarding a member’s violation of membership requirements or other guiding principles of the Platform. The mechanism seeks to provide transparency and predictability in the process and requires resolutions to be reached in a timely manner. It asserts particular emphasis on finding expedient and impartial resolution for high risk cases involving impact on communities or the environment, through the creation of a Complaints Panel. This panel will be made up of volunteer members, an external expert, and will judge whether and what kind of corrective actions need to be taken. 

The process is comprehensive and risk-based, and is designed with the aim  to bring parties to viable solutions and concrete remedy through a transparent process. ‘’The mechanism makes it possible for third parties to address issues with GPSNR members through an unbiased yet amicable process. The focus of the process will always be on finding solutions that work for everyone and provide both Complainants and Respondents with a transparent platform for resolution and accountability’’ said GPSNR Platform Director Stefano Savi.  

In slightly over two years, GPSNR has established itself as a platform working towards systemic change in the natural rubber supply chain. The existence of a strong redressal process like this grievance mechanism showcases its commitment to a culture of fairness and transparency.  

-Ends-  

About GPSNR:  

GPSNR is an international membership driven platform set up to define sustainability for the natural rubber value chain. It brings together various stakeholders to a common ground based on fairness, equity and environmental sustainability. GPSNR member companies account for almost 50% of the global natural rubber volume.  

More on sustainablenaturalrubber.org 

For more information, please contact: 

Bani Bains 

Communications Manager 

Email: bani.bains@gpsnr.org 

Ph: +65 97268165 

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