GPSNR Working Groups Update: September 2023

Share This Post

Strategy and Objectives Working Group:
The Traceability Pilot Field Trials consortiums Agridence and Koltiva have presented the final reports, which have been distributed within the Risk Subgroup. 

The Risk Subgroup has extended an invitation to ASI to share the formula behind the Risk Assessment Framework. This ensures that the framework is malleable to fit the dynamics of the Natural Rubber Industry. 

Furthermore, the Risk Subgroup has solidified plans for an initial pilot trial in collaboration with ASI, focusing on the establishment of Indonesia’s national risk assessment.

The resolution for the Assurance Model has been finalised and is currently in circulation among the wider membership for voting. The Member’s Journey Model and Assurance Model Timeline are slated for voting at GA 2023. The following items have been included in the Resolution as a strong basis for future consultations and discussions following GA 2023: Shared Investment Mechanism, Assurance Model Framework, and KPIs.

The Risk Subgroup is awaiting proposals from the Basel Institute in addressing corruption within Rubber Supply Chains from the ASI Risk Tool, Reporting Requirements and doing a qualitative corruption data analysis. 

Furthermore, the Risk Subgroup anticipates developments in the Assurance Model in December 2023, before proceeding with the expansion of the Risk Tool and the pre-setting of national risk levels. This ensures that the Risk Tool is not developed in silo and is in alignment with the other components of the Assurance Model.

Lastly, the Risk Subgroup intends to conduct an analysis of the Risk Tool with the Policy Framework to further understand how granular should Risk Assessment reach. For example, is Risk Assessment sufficient on a theme level or would it be necessary to deep dive into the Policy Component level.  

Smallholders Representation and Capacity Building (SCB) Working Group:
The Thailand Agroforestry subgroup conducted a KPI workshop before the Agroforestry training in October 2023. The subgroup is gearing up to conduct the inaugural set of Agroforestry training sessions, benefiting 100 farmers in Songkhla in October 2023.

Additionally, a productive knowledge exchange session took place involving the Agroforestry-Income Diversification task force, Pak Febrius, and the Thailand Agroforestry Subgroups.

Meanwhile, the Thailand GAP subgroup successfully finalised a contractual agreement with Koltiva and will hold its kick-off meeting, marking the first meeting since the start of the project.

The HCSA-HCVN Field Trials task force presented its final report to the SCB WG for endorsement.

The Digital Knowledge Sharing Platform (KSP) task force has conducted two pre-pilot development meetings and the Rubber Wiki app was officially launched on the Google Play Store. The task force is planning a training session tailored for task force and secretariat members, focusing on the effective management of Rubber Wiki. Following the app’s official launch, the KSP contractor will organise group socialising events in Indonesia and Thailand, aimed at introducing the app and gathering valuable user feedback.

Lastly, the SCB WG is gearing up for both national and international calls with smallholder members, an essential part of the preparations leading up to GA2023.

Policy Toolbox Working Group:
During the Year 1 Reporting Review process, input on the reporting process was gathered from members through a survey and stakeholder-specific meetings. This feedback will be used to inform revisions to the Reporting Matrix and disclosure requirements for reporting Years 2 and 3, aligning with the Transparent Reporting Roadmap (TRR).

The WG selected consultant Petra Westerlaan to propose a quantitative orientation for the reporting matrix and conducting a crosswalk with other established reporting frameworks such as CDP Forest, GRI, and ZSL-SPOTT. This quantification approach is expected to facilitate data aggregation and will make evaluating annual progress easier.

The Resolution for the Disclosure Requirements for Reporting Requirements has been finalised and is will be presented to the membership for voting. 

Lastly, quantification from Petra Westerlaan has been completed and the Working Group will embark on further consultations with the Working Group to prepare the updated Reporting Requirements to be approved at an extraordinary GA.

Shared Responsibility Working Group: The Shared Investment Mechanism (SIM) Resolution has been subsumed under the Assurance Model Resolution for approval in the 2023 GA, as a strong basis for further consultation and discussion after the GA. This is due to the integral role of the KPIs, which has not been finalised, in the implementation of the SIM. 

Value and benefits per category to be defined.

The Secretariat is looking into the development of guidance for the operation of the SIM.

Additionally, there is a co-chair seat open, and we are calling for interested volunteers.

More To Explore

Sri Trang Agro-Industry joins GPSNR

Sri Trang Agro-Industry joins 23 other rubber producers, processors and traders at GPSNR to make the industry-wide transition to sustainable natural rubber 

We are pleased to welcome Sri Trang Agro-Industry as the newest member of GPSNR’s growing community.

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) proudly announces the addition of Sri Trang Agro-Industry Public Company Limited (STA) as its newest member in the Producers, Processors and Traders category. STA, a leading fully integrated natural rubber company established in 1987, brings with it a solid commitment to the industry’s transition towards the sustainable and equitable production of natural rubber at scale. With large-scale rubber plantations covering almost 7,000 hectares across 19 provinces of Thailand, STA plays a significant role in the global natural rubber market. The company’s membership in GPSNR underscores its dedication to fostering a more sustainable and responsible natural rubber industry.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sri Trang Agro-Industry Public Company Limited to GPSNR,” said Stefano Savi, Platform Director of GPSNR. “Given the company’s scale and outreach, we look forward to their insights and contributions to important industry-wide processes on sustainable and equitable production currently underway at GPSNR, like our assurance model and shared investment mechanism.”

Nattee Thiraputhbhokin, Chief Marketing Officer of STA, stated, “Joining GPSNR reflects our unwavering commitment to advancing sustainable practices in the natural rubber industry. In addition, to the ever-evolving world of rubber production, STA emerged as a trailblazer with its groundbreaking Sri Trang Ecosystem. This digitalized, transparent, and sustainable framework showcased STA’s unwavering commitment to advancing sustainability in the natural rubber industry. With traceability ingrained in every step, from rubber tree cultivation to the delivery of traceable products, the ecosystem sets a new standard for better accountability. Joined by other industry leaders under the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), STA aims to forge a more sustainable and equitable future for all stakeholders, inspiring a transformation that resonated far beyond their business borders.”

STA joins over 290 GPSNR members composed of tire makers, natural rubber producers, processors, traders, civil society members, and end-users in driving positive change and shaping the future of the natural rubber sector.

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. More on sustainablenaturalrubber.org

For more information, please contact:
Abby Ng
Membership Outreach and Communications Associate 
Email: abigail@gpsnr.org

Members

Following the Conversation with GPSNR Topic Talks! (Members Version)

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

The series kicked off on 27 October with a presentation by Philippe Thaler from CIRAD, on the implications of EU legislation on imported deforestation. View the webinar recording or download the slide deck from this webinar using the links provided. 

The second webinar’s theme was on smallholder solutions and featured two separate presentations. “A landscape-level approach to inclusion and capacity building for rubber smallholders” was presented by Rizki Permana from SNV, Widyantoko Sumarlin from Kirana Megatara, and Tony Hill from Proforest. Speaking from experience with the Kelola-Sendang project in South Sumatra, the presenters explained how SNV, with Proforest support, worked with rubber smallholder groups in the jurisdictional initiative, which helped to forge new links between the smallholders and a crumb rubber factory buyer in the Kirana group. 

Next, “Exploring Smallholder Solutions in the Rubber Sector – The Processing and Sale of Rubberwood to Support Smallholder Financing in Indonesia” was presented by Amy Smith from WWF, Gerald Tan from HeveaConnect, with Renée Corstens and Remco Geervliet from Financial Access. This presentation shared the findings of a study which analyzed the potential of rubberwood to serve as a mechanism to support smallholder financing in Indonesia. You can view the webinar recording or download the slide deck for this webinar using the links provided.

The next theme is Assurance and smallholders, and how we can learn from existing schemes. PEFC’s CEO Ben Gunneberg presented a webinar last night, elaborating on PEFC’s approach to standard-setting and certification. He also showcased PEFC’s current collaborative projects with their national members and companies to support smallholder producers, and how these will benefit GPSNR members and the work GPSNR is engaged in. You can view the webinar recording or download the slide deck for this webinar using the links provided.

Continuing with the same theme of Assurance and smallholders, FSC will be presenting on 8 December, an overview of smallholder certification solutions. Members may register for the webinar in the subsequent section of this article.

We are also pleased to announce an addition to the Topic Talks lineup: ‘REDD+, are carbon credits impacts overstated?’. This new presentation, jointly organized with GIZ and which will be held on 10 December, puts the spotlight on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) with an introduction to the REDD+ methodology, followed by a discussion with the authors of a recently published study, “Overstated carbon emission reductions from voluntary REDD+ projects in the Brazilian Amazon”. Members may register for this Topic Talk in the subsequent section of this article.


Assurance and Smallholders: Learning from Existing Schemes Part 2

“FSC Smallholder Certification Solutions”

8 December | 7PM (GMT+8)

Click here to register

Presented by: FSC

The presentation will cover FSC’s solutions for smallholders to become certified. First, an overview of the evaluation of certification solutions for smallholders will be given. FSC’s existing solutions will be covered, with a focus on the benefits for FSC Group Certification. Next, solutions in the pipeline will be covered, addressing the impact of pilot projects and highlighting success stories.

REDD+, are carbon credits impacts overstated?  

10 December | 3PM (GMT+8)

Click here to register

Jointly Organized by: GIZ 

Presented by: GIZ and authors of the study

Using REDD+ projects to offset carbon emissions through avoided deforestation and the financial support of local communities is popular but also highly debated. Especially, voluntary REDD+ projects are regularly criticized as inefficient or even greenwashing. This presentation will provide an introduction to the REDD+ methodology. The authors of a recent critical study, “Overstated carbon emission reductions from voluntary REDD+ projects in the Brazilian Amazon” will then present their findings and suggestions as a basis for discussion.

Scroll to Top