Embracing our Shared Responsibility: GPSNR’s newest Working Group

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Before the second General Assembly on 23 September 2020, the GPSNR Executive Committee had approved the creation of a Shared Responsibility Working Group that would be tasked to define the principles of shared responsibility for GPSNR.

The term ‘shared responsibility’ is relatively new to the sustainability scene, and as such, there is currently no commonly accepted definition for it. In general, shared responsibility is a value-driven concept which recognizes that supply chains are structurally imbalanced in terms of value and benefit, risk, burden of compliance, climate change impacts, power of negotiation, and access to information and resources. A shared responsibility approach strives for value, benefits, risks and improvement investments to be equitably distributed across all actors within the supply chain.​

In order to establish the foundational work that would enable the creation of the Shared Responsibility Working Group, the Executive Committee formed a Task Force comprising several of its members. Over a series of weekly calls, the Task Force has developed a Terms of Reference (ToR) and a set of Guiding Principles to inform the work of the new Shared Responsibility Working Group.

It is envisioned that the Shared Responsibility Working Group will draw from the Guiding Principles for Shared Responsibility (currently being developed by the Executive Committee’s Shared Responsibility Task Force), as well as the GPSNR Equity Definition and the studies launched by the Equity Working Group, to develop an implementation framework for the platform with respect to shared responsibility.

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Continuing the Conversation with GPSNR Topic Talks – The Sumatran Rubber Pilot

The GPSNR Topic Talks webinar series is organised by the GPSNR Secretariat and presented by GPSNR members. The webinars cover several themes around sustainability and the global natural rubber supply chain.

The Topic Talks series continued on the 17th of March with Dr. Michael Steuwe from WWF US and Gerald Tan from HeveaConnect presenting on the Sumatran Rubber Pilot.

The Sumatran Rubber Pilot (SRP) is a voluntary, self-financed collaboration of rubber supply chain players and technical experts interested to facilitate the production and trade of transparent and sustainable natural rubber. The participating processing mills, tire makers, civil society organisations, technology providers and financial institutions have three major objectives:

  • Demonstrate how rubber’s downstream can work together to make its upstream more sustainable.
  • Identify, test, evaluate, and report on what it takes to achieve, and how to pay for transparent sustainable natural rubber supply chains.
  • Develop “Proof of Concept” approaches from and for GPSNR discussions on policy requirements and implementation, transparency and traceability, capacity building, and shared responsibility.

Within a few months of the project launch in July 2020, SRP’s four rubber processing factories, managed by the Halcyon Agri and ITOCHU groups, had traced up to 1 year of rubber supplies to the village and/or sub-district of origin based on self-declarations by their supplying dealers. These approximate origins of the rubber sources were filtered through WWF Indonesia’s new environmental risk assessment and management tool which identifies High Conservation Value Areas and High Carbon Stock Forest for the whole island of Sumatra. The results allow processors and their respective downstream supply chains to focus their sustainability work with farmers on priority areas.

The SRP partners are enhancing dealer self-declarations with digital apps such as CropIn and Hamurni to assess farms’ potential environmental, social, equity, labour and legal issues accurately and to address them.

As GPSNR adopts principles and criteria for what constitutes transparent and sustainable rubber, the risk assessment algorithms will be adapted to flag compliant rubber accordingly. This is increasingly important for rubber’s downstream as companies’ Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) impacts are becoming key evaluation criteria for investors and financiers who will demand the disclosure of the relevant information. In a parallel development, new supply chain laws will require major companies like the world’s car and tire makers to be responsible for the environmental and social impacts of their supply chains. The collection and analysis of detailed data on upstream supply chains will have to become an essential part of doing business and SRP partners are working to respond appropriately to these changes.

While continuing to focus on increasing the resolution of tracing rubber to its origin and collecting the respective data, SRP will now begin finding ways to best address the social, equity, labour, and legal issues that may have come up in supply chain assessments. 

The SRP is a voluntary, open and flexible platform of like minded partners interested in testing a diversity of approaches to achieve supply chain transparency and sustainability, and welcomes interested rubber supply chain actors to reach out and discuss how they might join the collaboration. GPSNR members interested in participating in the SRP should reach out to the GPSNR Secretariat to get involved in the project.

The recording and slide deck from the webinar can be accessed with the links below:

  1. Link to Recording
  2. Link to Slide Deck

GPSNR Staff March 30, 2021

Natural Rubber and the European Union Deforestation Regulation: Perspectives from a young sustainability advocate working on natural rubber

Earlier this year, I joined the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) to work with smallholder farmers, civil societies, manufacturers, processors and end users on capacity building for those at the bottom of the natural rubber (NR) supply chain. The primary goal was to equip them with the necessary skills for sustainability reform, with the ultimate goal of cultivating better quality raw materials and fostering greater economic mobility. This journey provided me with valuable insights, enabling me to learn from industry professionals and gain an understanding of sustainability issues from diverse perspectives. In this short article, I would like to share some of my key takeaways from being exposed to GPSNR’s initiatives for a sustainable NR industry and interacting with those from other commodities on similar journeys.

To begin, the adoption of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is widely celebrated as a significant step in combating climate change and demonstrates the EU’s commitment to ensuring a sustainable supply chain. However, my interactions with smallholder members of GPSNR shed light on the concerns raised about the shifting of compliance costs to producers. One smallholder member I work with has often highlighted the challenge of balancing the cost of implementing sustainable practices against revenues. They expressed their desire for tangible benefits, such as receiving premium prices for their products, if they were expected to adopt sustainable farming methods. To truly ensure a sustainable supply chain, it is important for governments and industry players to support and assist the vulnerable groups along the supply chain in overcoming the financial barriers they face. This will help ensure that the burden of compliance costs is not disproportionately placed on their shoulders.


Attending the Partnerships for Forests (P4F) Forum 2023 in London. P4F’s invaluable support has played a pivotal role in empowering GPSNR’s smallholders and fostering sustainable engagement.

Additionally, while initiatives to combat deforestation remain crucial, we must not overlook the importance of addressing social issues and the potential economic consequences of such regulations. At the Amsterdam Declaration Partnerships in May 2023, I had the opportunity to hear a minister from a producing country emphasize the importance of consuming nations recognizing the economic and social consequences. Failing to consider economic and social consequences can have far-reaching effects such as increased poverty levels and inequality. Therefore, a holistic approach that balances all three pillars of sustainability is necessary to safeguard the well-being and livelihoods of those affected while protecting the environment.

Lastly, drawing from my experience during the National Initiatives Strategy meeting, an initiative to enhance social, environmental, and economic welfare on a global scale, it became clear that national initiatives have certain limitations when it comes to supporting multiple commodities simultaneously. Therefore, these initiatives need to prioritize specific commodities in order to ensure practicality and effectiveness. During the meeting, it was collectively acknowledged that national initiatives do not need to take the lead in every solution, but rather offer support to industry and government-led initiatives while fostering effective collaboration to avoid duplication in allocation of resources. This also highlights the significance of industry-led solutions, which can complement the work of national initiatives. Industry players’ proactive measures can help anticipate and mitigate potential risks in the supply chain more effectively, promote sustainable practices, and contribute to the overall goal of combating climate change and complying with EUDR.

As I reflect on my experience with GPSNR, it is evident that sustainability in the NR supply chain has been a longstanding commitment even prior to the introduction of the EUDR. Various initiatives have been taken to promote sustainable practices within the NR industry, including the approval of reporting requirements and the adoption of the GPSNR policy framework. These initiatives aim to encourage GPSNR members to align their practices with GPSNR Policy Framework and thus, establish strong sustainability commitments across the NR supply chain.

This year marks a significant transition for GPSNR as we move from commitment to implementation, focusing on four key fronts. Firstly, our efforts are dedicated to finalizing the GPSNR assurance model, an encompassing framework that establishes sustainability guidelines and standards for the entire supply chain. Additionally, GPSNR is also actively working on implementing the shared responsibility mechanism, wherein the manufacturers collaborate to share the costs of capacity building, fostering an equitable and sustainable NR industry.

Furthermore, GPSNR is expanding its capacity building initiatives in essential areas such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), agroforestry, and disease management. These efforts aim to empower local communities in key NR producing regions, particularly in Thailand and Indonesia. GPSNR also implemented a smallholders-inclusive strategy, whereby smallholders members can participate in the decision-making processes, become part of the Executive Committee of GPSNR, and have the voting rights at the General Assembly. This ensures that the voices and perspectives of smallholders are taken into account in the development and execution of sustainable natural rubber initiatives.

Lastly, GPSNR is actively striving to fine-tune decisions that support a smoother implementation of the EUDR, which include shared due diligence systems, joint deforestation analysis tools, and common traceability tools, all funded by manufacturers. These measures will enhance transparency and accountability within the NR supply chain.

Members of the Smallholder Representations and Capacity Building Working Group, which include smallholder members from Thailand and Indonesia,  come together in Singapore, bringing their invaluable perspectives to GPSNR workshops in June 2023.

In conclusion, my journey with GPSNR as a passionate sustainability advocate has underscored the significance of collaboration in forging a sustainable NR industry. As we navigate the path forward, it is crucial to address the challenges ahead while maintaining a delicate equilibrium between environmental, social, and economic considerations. The initiatives undertaken by GPSNR, including capacity building, smallholder inclusion, and strategic decisions to support EUDR implementation, reflect a steadfast commitment to sustainability. Together, we can make a positive impact on the global NR supply chain and create a sustainable future.

GPSNR Secretariat June 28, 2023

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