General Assembly 2020 Information for Members (Members Version)

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GPSNR Assurance System – Assessment Service Provider Application

Singapore, 15 December 2025 — Members of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) gathered today for the organisation’s 7th General Assembly, marking a landmark year of progress in collective responsibility, accountability, and member-driven sustainability across the natural rubber value chain.

A major milestone in 2025 was the launch of GPSNR’s risk-based Assurance System, which sets clear sustainability expectations, introduces independent verification, and promotes continuous improvement beyond compliance. Developed collaboratively over several years, the system provides a credible, globally relevant framework for advancing sustainability in the sector. At this GA, End User companies reaffirmed their support and agreed on a structured pathway toward full implementation in their category.

“This year marks a turning point for GPSNR,” said Stefano Savi, CEO of GPSNR. “The Assurance System gives our members a shared and trusted foundation for demonstrating progress across the value chain.”

Members also marked the first year of the Shared Investment Mechanism, an innovative model enabling manufacturers to equitably share the costs of large-scale capacity-building projects, ensuring long-term benefits for upstream actors, particularly smallholders.

“Sustainability cannot be achieved by one part of the value chain alone,” Savi added. “By investing together, our members are enabling more inclusive and impactful outcomes worldwide.”

Looking ahead to 2026, GPSNR will support implementation of the Assurance System through data gathering, member learning, and cross-stakeholder dialogue to ensure the system reflects on-the-ground realities and diverse business models.

The Assembly concluded with renewed commitment from members to advance equitable, resilient, and sustainable natural rubber supply chains.

About GPSNR:

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) is a multi-stakeholder, member-driven initiative working to advance sustainability across the natural rubber value chain.

More at sustainablenaturalrubber.org

Media contact:

Bani Bains, Communications Director
bani.bains@gpsnr.org | +65 9726 8165

GPSNR Secretariat January 5, 2026
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Different Plans for Different Countries: Getting Capacity Building Right

What are the challenges that prevent the production of sustainable natural rubber in rubber-producing countries, and why do they exist?

What initiatives can be taken, and by whom, to effectively overcome these challenges?

How can GPSNR best support the natural rubber sector in becoming more sustainable?

In setting out to find the answers to these questions, the Capacity Building Working Group has established four regional sub-Working Groups to focus on developing country-specific capacity building goals and strategies for the following countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Côte d’Ivoire and Myanmar. 

Since the first week of April, the regional sub-Groups have been holding weekly calls to get their respective projects started. Their first order of business? Identify the main challenges preventing the adoption of sustainable natural rubber practices within their countries of focus. Already, some commonalities have been revealed: the lack of implementation of best agricultural practices and poor diversification of farmers’ income. While challenges may be similar across the countries, proposed initiatives may differ due to a variety of factors such as technology and infrastructure, culture, degree of (or lack of) government support. The role that GPSNR can play in supporting these strategies would also depend on the particular conditions within each country.  

The sub-Groups are currently working on prioritizing the identified challenges to capacity building, and will be linking expected outcomes to the components of the GPSNR Desired State.

Roland Baroan is the first GPSNR smallholder member to take part in a Working Group discussion. A rubber farmer with 37 hectares of land and current President of the Association of Natural Rubber Producers of Côte d’Ivoire (APROCANCI), Roland lends his local expertise and knowledge to the Côte d’Ivoire regional sub-Group. Smallholders from the other countries of focus will also be involved via a consultation process.

While we hope to see more smallholders participating in and contributing to the work of GPSNR, we must also ensure that the right support systems are in place for them to effectively connect and communicate with all members. To this end, the Smallholders Representation Working Group is finetuning a proposed programme to onboard our smallholder members. The Working Group is also discussing a suitable funding mechanism for future smallholder participation in GPSNR.

By laying the groundwork for smallholder inclusivity, we can support the natural rubber value chain in its efforts to become more sustainable, and thus more resilient to global catastrophes.

GPSNR Staff April 26, 2020
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