GPSNR’s new Policy Framework drives members commitment to sustainable rubber production and sourcing

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Singapore, 23 September 2020: On Wednesday, members of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) convened the annual General Assembly, which saw the approval of a members’ sustainability policy framework and the creation of a new membership category for smallholder producers of natural rubber.

The newly approved policy framework will help GPSNR member companies, who account for almost 50% of global natural rubber volume, to establish or update strong supply chain sustainability commitments through their natural rubber purchasing policies, on all aspects of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social. Modeled around the Platform’s 12 Principles of Sustainable Natural Rubber, the new policy framework sets out eight overarching themes that include commitments to legal compliance, community livelihoods, healthy, functioning ecosystems (including no deforestation), and respecting all human rights.

“This is a tremendous milestone for the Platform and for the natural rubber industry. In just under two years, GPSNR members developed and approved concrete policy commitments for companies to integrate into their sustainable natural rubber policies. Today, and despite the challenges we all faced during this global pandemic, GPSNR members send a signal to the world about their commitment to achieving a fair, equitable and environmentally sound future” said GPSNR Director Stefano Savi.

Around 85% of the world’s natural rubber is produced by smallholders. In order to transform a sector that is primarily reliant on smallholder producers, GPSNR is embracing smallholder inclusivity and a concept of shared responsibility through the establishment of a Shared Responsibility Working Group, which will identify how the responsibilities and costs of implementation can be equitably distributed across all stakeholder categories, with the understanding that smallholders should not carry the burden of a higher cost to implement sustainability activities in complying with the policy or implementation guidance to be developed.

“Smallholders are a crucial link in the natural rubber value chain, and they have a key role to play in driving awareness on-the-ground and setting the global agenda for sustainable natural rubber” remarked Director Savi.

This year, GPSNR welcomed 28 smallholder members from seven rubber-producing countries. These smallholders now constitute a newly approved standalone category and play an equal role in decision-making within GPSNR alongside the other four categories: producers, processors, and traders; tire manufacturers and other natural rubber makers/buyers; car manufacturers, other downstream users and financial institutions; and civil society.

GPSNR’s virtual General Assembly drew more than 120 attendees, including members of the Platform, partners and invited guests. In addition to voting on resolutions, GPSNR members also elected representatives to the 2020-2021 Executive Committee, which comprises representatives from each of the membership categories. And for the first time, three newly elected smallholder producers with diverse geographical backgrounds will participate in Executive Committee discussions and decision-making.

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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 Staff October 26, 2021

GPSNR Working Groups Update: August 2023

Strategy and Objectives Working Group:

In recent developments within the Risk Subgroup, significant progress has been made. Consortiums Agridence and Koltiva have delivered their conclusive reports, which have been duly circulated among the members. The Risk Subgroup extended an invitation to ASI, requesting insights into the formulation of the Risk Assessment Framework. This move aims to ensure the adaptability of the framework to the many different risk tools that exist in the  Natural Rubber Industry. Collaborative efforts are also underway, as the Risk Subgroup and ASI work together on an inaugural pilot trial, focusing on setting Indonesia’s national risk parameters.

Meanwhile, significant strides have been taken in the realm of the Assurance Model Taskforce. Resolutions have been shared within the Strategy and Objectives Working Group, inviting constructive feedback. The completion of the Due Diligence System falls under the purview of ZSL, marking a substantial accomplishment.

The Risk Subgroup is engaging in early-stage discussions with the Basel Institution, exploring a potential collaboration concerning corruption risks within the supply chain.

Further negotiations between the Risk Subgroup and ASI encompass a range of key initiatives, including the preconfiguration of National Risk Levels, the refinement of the Risk Tool’s questionnaire, and harmonising National Risk levels with other established risk assessment tools used within the GPSNR community. ASI is entrusted with designing the GPSNR Assurance Model; and a draft Framework has been shared.

Smallholders Representation and Capacity Building (SCB) Working Group:

In recent updates, several advancements have occurred. The Indonesia National Subgroup has reported quarterly progress to the SCB WG for the GAP Coaching and Disease Fighting projects.

Meanwhile, in Thailand, the National Subgroup has completed proposal evaluations, leading to the selection of Koltiva for the Thailand GAP Coaching project.

A notable achievement is the official endorsement from the SCB WG for the final recommendations report of the Smallholders Policy-Equivalent (SPE).

Concurrently, the Agroforestry-Income Diversification taskforce has successfully finalised contractual arrangements and is actively overseeing projects in Indonesia.

Preparations are underway in the Thailand Agroforestry subgroup for upcoming training discussions scheduled for October 2023. Similarly, the Thailand GAP subgroup is taking steps to initiate its project.

On the technological front, the Digital Knowledge Sharing Platform (KSP) task force is making progress in developing features, anticipating the forthcoming piloting phase.

The HCSA-HCVN Field Trials task force is focused on refining the final report for subsequent submission to the SCB WG.

Looking ahead, the Agroforestry-Income Diversification Taskforce is gearing up for a series of agroforestry workshops planned for 2023-2024.

Cross-group collaboration is evident as the Thailand Agroforestry subgroup plans a knowledge exchange session with the Agroforestry-Income Diversification taskforce and Indonesian smallholder, Pak Febrius SW, with a focus on Rubber Agroforestry.

Lastly, the SCB WG is proactively organising calls with smallholders from diverse countries as part of their preparations for the upcoming October 2023 General Assembly.

Policy Toolbox Working Group:

A resolution along with its corresponding Annex was drafted, aiming for Year 2 Disclosure Requirements. These were slated for submission to the 5th General Assembly (GA).

Consultant Petra Westerlaan presented a proposal to the WG that outlined revisions to the GPSNR Reporting Framework. This proposal resulted from a comprehensive comparison with other reporting frameworks, including CDP Forest, GRI, and ZSL-SPOTT. The proposed revisions emphasised quantification, which would enhance data aggregation and simplify the assessment of annual progress.

Subsequent to the GA, the WG will scrutinise Petra’s proposed revisions and arrive at a consensus on changes to the Reporting Matrix.. Sufficient lead time is essential for companies to prepare their Year 3 data.

Once agreement is reached on revisions to the Reporting Matrix, the WG will proceed to define the disclosure requirements for Year 3 reporting. This sequential approach ensures a methodical and informed evolution of the GPSNR reporting process.

Shared Responsibility Working Group: 

During the face-to-face meeting, the Governance and guiding principles were introduced. Manufacturers are in the process of obtaining internal approval for the Governance Framework. They will subsequently furnish a final version for approval from the GPSNR Executive Committee (EC) and the General Assembly.

A draft resolution was shared with the Working Group (WG) and received approval for distribution to members for feedback.

Collaborating with the Capacity Building WG, the WG is developing a protocol to screen and assess proposals. This evaluation process will be based on the Equity definition and stakeholders as outlined by the EC.

One of the  co-chair seats in the Shared Responsibility WG is available, and a call for volunteers has been initiated.

abby August 14, 2023

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