Feature: Stakeholders look to other NR sources

Washington – Michelin's recently announced Zero Deforestation programme will have a major impact on both the procurement of natural rubber and the development of alternative natural rubber sources, according to industry sources.

To Michael Fraley, CEO of the guayule rubber development and commercialisation firm PanAridus LLC, the zero deforestation programme underlines the need both for preserving the rainforest and developing sources of NR other than Hevea brasiliensis.

Katrina Cornish, endowed chair and Ohio Endowed Professor for Bioemergent Materials at Ohio State University, sees more and more small farmers in Southeast Asia switching from rubber to oil palm, which is more profitable.

Also, with climate change, the threat to the small area of land on which Hevea can grow becomes ever greater, she said.

“Depending on clonal Hevea for this crucial material is insane,” said Cornish, who leads a major research project in rubber dandelion development at OSU-Wooster Campus. “We have to have some biological diversity before disaster strikes.”

Zero Deforestation forms Section 2.1 of the 2016 edition of the Michelin Group's Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy reference document.

“By all reasonable means, the group ensures that the natural rubber it uses comes exclusively from plantations that fully comply with the zero deforestation principles,” the document said.

These principles include the complete protection and preservation of primary forests, as well as protection and preservation of high conservation value and high carbon stock forests, it said.

Section 4.1 of the reference document is titled “increasing the material efficiency of natural rubber.” Using biomaterials and other alternative components to natural rubber is among the actions Michelin is exploring in this area, as well as reducing average tire mass; increasing tire durability; developing retreading and regrooving surfaces; and recycling both new and used materials during the production process.

Organisations such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund greeted Michelin's zero deforestation announcement warmly. “The announcement by the Michelin Group to commit to a zero deforestation natural rubber procurement policy sends a strong signal to the entire rubber sector: it will soon be more difficult to sell natural rubber that contributes to deforestation,” said Cecile Leuba of Greenpeace France.

Michelin officials could not be reached for comment. Other tire makers issued statements regarding their sustainability activities.

Goodyear spoke of its participation in the International Rubber Study Group's sustainable natural rubber initiative, which was launched in 2013 with the purpose of creating sustainable natural rubber procurement.

“Goodyear is increasing its focus on sustainability in our materials, products, manufacturing processes and end uses,” said Dennis McGavis, Goodyear global vice president for environmental, health, safety and sustainability.

Bridgestone Americas Inc. has a very active sustainability programme that includes research in both guayule and rubber dandelions.

One of the high points of Bridgestone's programme is the Bridgestone Biorubber Process Research Center in Mesa, Arizona, and the nearby agro operation guayule research farm in Eloy, Arizona The tire maker unveiled prototype tires in October 2015 in which guayule rubber completely replaced Hevea, and said it is on track to make guayule available commercially by the early 2020s.

“Appreciating that the production of natural rubber is a very complex and fragmented system, Bridgestone takes a broad view of sustainable natural rubber, which includes not only deforestation, but also labour rights, land use, water use and quality, and many other critical elements,” the company said in a statement.

“Bridgestone recognises the industry's responsibility to develop technologies and business practices that encourage conservation of earth's finite natural resources,” it said.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. did not issue a statement, but pointed to the document on its website describing its corporate social responsibility and sustainability mission.

One of Cooper's chief efforts in this mission is its leadership in the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, in which its partners are PanAridus, Clemson University, Cornell University and the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Using guayule rubber provided by Pan-Aridus, Cooper made its first tires with guayule rubber components in 2014, and the following year hosted the tire industry's first ride-and-drive event on guayule tires.

Researching rubber dandelion

Meanwhile, Continental AG has put itself in the forefront of research into Taraxacum kok-saghyz, also known as the rubber dandelion. (The plant has commonly been called the Russian dandelion, but Ohio State's Cornish discourages that. “It's not really Russian,” she said.)

Continental recently announced it is earmarking $39 million to build a dedicated dandelion research facility in Anklam, Germany. The tire maker is developing dandelion rubber under the trade name “Taraxagum” and plans to introduce commercial dandelion rubber products in the next five to 10 years.

The biggest challenge to Conti's dandelion rubber commercialisation plans is ensuring supply, according to Peter Zmolek, director of body compound and reinforcement development for Conti.

“It depends on the number of tires we decide to build, but we will not be limited by the number of tires once we have sufficient rubber we can harvest,” he said.

Zmolek said he could not speak to the issue of climate change involving Hevea, but noted that the enormous potential growing area for rubber dandelions makes them virtually climate change-proof.

“There is no concern for dandelions,” he said. “They are quite robust, and that is what makes them so attractive.”

Cornish also said rubber dandelions enjoy an advantage in a time of climate change, and added that guayule—which grows only in hot, dry climates—should continue to have sufficient growing areas.

“Both crops have a good future,” she said.

Fraley sees his product not only as having a great future, but providing great value here and now.

“We don't have the luxury of promoting crops that need an abundance of water,” he said. “We've provided tons of seed and rubber. We are providing a consistent product—probably the highest-quality natural rubber in the world.”