Strategy and Objectives Working Group Update – March 2020

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In driving forward the progress on the Theory of Change (ToC) and Desired State, the Chairs of the Strategy and Objectives Working Group are expected to lead discussions with the other Working Group Chairs. These discussions will focus on mapping the areas of work currently undertaken by the respective groups to the relevant sections of the ToC. Pulling together the detailed thinking within each group will enable the Working Group to flesh out the elements of each strategy and the linkage between each individual component. To package the ToC in a more user-friendly format, the Secretariat has developed a visual representation of the ToC, which gives a broad overview of the concept while allowing for a deeper dive into the details. The Working Group has reviewed the first draft of this document, and will be working with the Secretariat to finetune it.

Following the initial survey that had gone out, consultant James Griffiths has started interviewing stakeholders on social risks priorities and mitigation solutions as part of the study on Human Rights and Labour Rights’ risk mapping in the global natural rubber value chain.

The Equity sub-Group had their inaugural meeting this week. The members of the group agreed on the need to work with urgency and consider the approach of having a different work plan, one which would enable a move towards recommendations on a rapid basis. The importance of engaging governments was also highlighted in the discussion. The sub-Group will be meeting again next week to continue the conversation on equity.

‘Policy Toolbox’ Working Group

The policy components and baseline reporting requirements are being circulated for comments among the various membership categories. The Producers, Processors and Traders had a teleconference organized by Socfin and Southland Global, and will also be collecting comments via email. The Tire Makers are submitting their inputs through an online survey and emails. The OEM members have also discussed the documents in a call and have consolidated their comments. Civil Society Organization members are engaged in discussions on these elements as well. The Working Group anticipates that it will be able to submit the deliverables to the Executive Committee for approval in May.

‘Capacity Building’ Working Group

In recognition of the need to prioritize an inclusive and pragmatic approach towards capacity building, the Working Group has decided to establish several regional sub-Working Groups, each of which will be responsible for developing country-specific capacity building objectives. The Working Group is exploring getting smallholders involved in some of these regional sub-Working Groups, which would be the first instance of smallholder participation at the working group level, and would be informative in the ongoing discussions on ways to integrate smallholders into the activities of GPSNR. The terms of reference for the regional sub-Working Groups are in the process of being finalised.

The Working Group hopes to achieve greater alignment with the Theory of Change (ToC) developed by the Strategy and Objectives Working Group, through the establishment of ToCs at the working group and sub-working group level. This would allow each working group to contribute to the design of GPSNR’s ToC, with the aim to achieve the Desired State. Working groups can delve into more precise levels of identifying capacity building objectives and developing implementation plans to address the gaps in various target groups within a specific country.

‘Traceability and Transparency’ Working Group

After consulting with the Policy Toolbox Working Group on areas of risk, the finalized terms of reference for the two pilot proposals are being circulated for final feedback within the Traceability and Transparency Working Group.

The pilot study on satellite mapping and machine learning aims to make use of historical and current data and new technology to determine the risk of potential deforestation, along with other social and environmental risks that are the result of deforestation.

The traceability and transparency tool comparison study will assess, among others, the ability of the tool to identify risk and/or contribute to a risk assessment in the social, environmental and legal categories.

The proposals will be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval in April. Moving forward, the Traceability and Transparency and Policy Toolbox Working Groups will work closely together on understanding risks in the natural rubber supply chain..

March 26, 2020

More To Explore

13 Global Tire Companies Co-Invest to Deliver Healthcare to 1,800 Rubber Farming Households in Côte d’Ivoire

Groundbreaking GPSNR initiative with social enterprise Elucid targets the overlooked link between farmer health and supply chain resilience

SINGAPORE, 23 April 2026: The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) today announced a three-year partnership with Berlin-based social enterprise Elucid to deliver healthcare access to 1,800 rubber farmers and their households. This will benefit approximately 9,000 individuals in Côte d’Ivoire. The initiative is funded through GPSNR’s Shared Investment Mechanism (SIM) by 13 tire and rubber companies: Aeolus Tyre Co., Ltd., Apollo Tyres Ltd., Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Hankook Tire & Technology, Kumho Tire Co., Inc., Maxxis International, Nokian Tyres plc, Prometeon Tyre Group, Sumitomo Riko Company Limited, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Toyo Tire Corporation, and The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.

The partnership addresses a gap the industry has long overlooked: the direct impact of farmer health on supply chain productivity. Medical emergencies cost Côte d’Ivoire an estimated 853 million USD in cocoa exports in 2017 alone. With many farmers cultivating both cocoa and rubber, the implications for the natural rubber sector are significant. Research from Ghana shows that enrollment of farmer households in national health insurance increases their agricultural investment in several areas by approximately 40%, according to a 2024 study published in Agricultural Finance Review.

“We talk constantly about improving yields and farm management practices, but we’ve missed something fundamental,” said GPSNR CEO Stefano Savi. “A farmer who can’t afford to see a doctor when they’re sick or who cannot go to the farm because their child is unwellcan’t be productive. Healthcare isn’t separate from supply chain resilience. It’s central to it.”

A Critical Gap for the World’s Fourth-Largest Rubber Producer

Côte d’Ivoire is critical to global rubber supply chains, yet smallholder farmers who drive production across the country’s forest regions face severe healthcare barriers. The country ranks 187th out of 195 globally for quality of care, and only 32% of essential medicines are available in the public health sector, according to a 2020 health systems assessment. While two-thirds of the population are enrolled in the national health insurance scheme (CMU) on paper, fewer than 4% actually used their insurance card in 2025, due to administrative hurdles and facility-level barriers.

When farmers lack reliable healthcare, medical emergencies force them to sell assets and abandon farm improvements — a direct risk to the supply chains that depend on them.

A Comprehensive, Four-Part Approach

The initiative combines four components:

Enrollment in CMU national insurance for all participating farmers and households
Elucid’s emergency and essential care scheme covering WHO-accredited medications and life-saving services
Quality improvements at 15 healthcare facilities serving the target communities
Community awareness programs connecting health to economic wellbeing

Elucid’s digital platform will track all data in real time, enabling transparent impact reporting throughout the project. The program aims to increase healthcare visits from fewer than 200 to over 1,800, drive CMU enrollment from less than 30% to over 90%, and prevent more than 150 catastrophic health expenditure events each year. Half of beneficiaries will be women and 20% will be children under 18.

“This is about demonstrating what’s possible when the private sector invests in making national health systems work for farmers,” said Sambhavna Biswas, Partnerships Manager at Elucid. “This model can be replicated across rubber-growing regions and adapted to other agricultural sectors. Everyone in the value chain benefits when the people at its foundation are healthy and economically secure.”

Farmer enrollment begins in August 2026, with healthcare access improvements continuing until January 2029. From December 2027, the project will transition toward long-term sustainability, building cooperative capacity to maintain health support for their members.

About GPSNR: The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber is a multi-stakeholder initiative bringing together tire manufacturers, vehicle makers, natural rubber processors and traders, and civil society organizations to develop and implement sustainability policies and practices across the natural rubber value chain. More on sustainablenaturalrubber.org

About Elucid: Elucid is a Berlin-based social enterprise providing data-driven healthcare services for farmers and workers in global supply chains across six countries and five agricultural sectors. Learn more at www.elucid.social

Media Contacts: GPSNR: Bani Bains | bani.bains@gpsnr.org;

Elucid: Sambhavna Biswas | sambhavna.biswas@elucid.de

GPSNR Secretariat April 23, 2026

News

Smallholders Representation Working Group Update – December 2019

The Smallholders Representation Working Group has agreed to propose the new main characteristics for potential representatives of GPSNR smallholders as below:

Smallholder: individual natural rubber farmers with all following characteristics:

The primary source of income for the smallholder is the farm (not only Natural Rubber);
The Natural Rubber production unit size is less than 50ha (although the farm may be larger);
Profits from the farm accrue primarily to the owner of the farm and their family.

The new definition combines the qualitative and quantitative aspects with the intention to offer a pragmatic and standardized definition. The working group members understand that average farm size differs from country to country, hence having a universal threshold in farm size might not guarantee that the farmer is a small grower in that particular country. However, a quantitative indicator should be in place in order to give an objective and clear understanding to all audiences. The threshold of 50 hectares is established as an interim quantitative indicator based on the discussion in the working group that more than 80% of natural rubber supply comes from the farm which is smaller than 50 hectares.

The Country Champion is collecting application form from the smallholders that have been nominated durinng GPSNR Smallholder Workshop. While membership fee is waived to smallholder member, funding to participate the General Assembly in March 2020 in Singapore is limited to 20 seats. The Working Group will further look at the profile of the smallholders to design the criteria for funding mechanism.

GPSNR Staff December 26, 2019