Secretariat Update – February 2020

Strategy and Objectives Working Group: ASI finished the initial draft of the Assurance Model proposal and presented it to Working Group (WG) members in December for their feedback. To gather more specific insights, feedback calls were arranged with various categories. Based on the feedback received, ASI plans to revise the draft and present it for further discussion at the February in-person meetings.

Smallholders Representation and Capacity Building (SCB) Working Group: Smallholder representatives attended the 5th Sustainable Rubber Plantation and International Conference in Buriram, Thailand, from December 13-15, 2023, to discuss sustainable practices. A consultation on the assurance model was held on January 25, 2024. Both SNV-Proforest’s Indonesia GAP and SNV-IRRI’s Disease Fighting project concluded in December 2023, with final reports submitted. Koltiva’s Indonesia GAP project, extended until September 2024, received additional funding from Goodyear. 

The Thailand agroforestry project signed a supplemental agreement for more projects. Southland and Sri Trang joined the Thailand GAP project as processors, with training material under review. 

The Digital Knowledge Sharing Platform (KSP) task force completed its user acceptance test, releasing the Rubber Wiki app on the Google Play Store. Koltiva was awarded the third phase of KSP for content development with the task force’s content development phase kicking off on January 25, 2024.

Continental pledged funds for capacity-building in Cote d’Ivoire. The Cote d’Ivoire subgroup will discuss new Continental-funded projects.

Two SCB WG meetings were scheduled on December 26 and 31 for final presentations and updates on various projects, including endorsements. The Thailand Agroforestry project plans training for late January 2024, and the Thailand GAP project aims to start training in late January or February 2024. The Income Diversification and Rubber Agroforestry task force is planning its third agroforestry workshop in Liberia from May 22-24, 2024.

Shared Responsibility Working Group: The Working Group is initiating initial steps to explore ways to develop a value transfer mechanism in GPSNR. The Secretariat has discussed possible paths with the co-chair, who will present these plans to the EC in the near future.

Executive Committee: The EC convened for an in-person strategy planning session in Paris, where they identified and outlined key strategic priorities in a Gantt chart. he Secretariat, along with members and WGs, will collaborate to implement these strategic priorities set forth by the EC.

Stakeholders including tire manufacturers, other rubber users, suppliers and processors, vehicle makers and NGOs, contributed to the development of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR). This included alignment on a wide-reaching set of priorities for the natural rubber supply chain. The GPSNR will work to harmonize standards to improve respect for human rights, prevent land-grabbing and deforestation, protect biodiversity and water resources, improve yields, and increase supply chain transparency and traceability.

Development of the platform was initiated by the CEOs of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Tire Industry Project (TIP) in November 2017 and has since been led by a Working Group of TIP member companies. TIP members continue to work to ensure the sustainable production and supply of natural rubber, and in joining the platform they commit to be able to demonstrate the integration of principles for sustainable natural rubber into their purchasing and/or operational activities. The GPSNR is open to applications for membership from other natural rubber stakeholders.

Speaking at the launch Peter Bakker, President and CEO of WBCSD said “The tire industry consumes around 70 percent of natural rubber and demand is growing. This throws into sharp relief the social, economic and environmental opportunities associated with this important commodity. The GPSNR will consider the people, communities and natural resources touched by natural rubber production and supply – they all stand to benefit from the creation and adoption of sustainable and responsible practices.”

The ceremonial launch included the signing of a GPSNR Member Statement by the 11 members of TIP, and Ford Motor Company, Halcyon Agri Corporation Limited, ITOCHU Corporation, Kirana Megatara, SIPEF, The Socfin Group, and Southland Global PTE Ltd.

Bakker praised the efforts of founding and prospective GPSNR members in bringing the platform to launch, adding “This spirit of collaboration will define the actions of the platform going forward – there is strength in diversity, and the various interests and expertise within the GPSNR can deliver a truly sustainable natural rubber supply chain.”

The WBCSD’s TIP spearheaded development of the GPSNR and will financially support the platform during start-up and its first two years of operation – a level of support necessary to ensure basic operations while a paying membership base is established. Despite industry backing the GPSNR will maintain its independence, underlined Anne-Cécile Remont, Director WBCSD TIP– “Once officially launched, the platform will be independently managed, with governance and decision making overseen by a representative group of stakeholders.”

Building upon past work, in developing the platform, a review of comparable supply chain sustainability initiatives, including natural rubber, revealed that meaningful change was best achieved through the mainstreaming of good practices and this was central to discussions around the GPSNR’s governance structure, explained Remont. “Successful mainstreaming requires actionable commitment from the entire supply chain. Best results are found where the various contributions of stakeholder groups are relative to their ownership of supply chain opportunities, their relevant expertise and their capacity to implement meaningful change,” she said.

To be headquartered in Singapore, a dedicated GPSNR secretariat will kick-off operations in March 2019 with an inaugural GPSNR General Assembly.