GPSNR advances sustainability goals with new tire maker, smallholder members

Singapore – The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) has progressed its sustainability goals with a number of new memberships and policy revisions by tire makers and smallholders.

The platform held an onboarding workshop in July which was attended by more than 25 smallholders from the five key producing regions in Indonesia, said GPSNR in its latest update 25 Aug.

The workshop, it said, led to 24 of the smallholders formally submitting applications to join the platform as members.

The smallholder representation working group will now be taking the next steps to bring them on board, GPSNR said.

Furthermore, two tire makers and one civil society organisation joined the platform in August.

The platform said it welcomed tire makers DTR and Kraiburg, as well as civil society organisation CICND earlier this month. 

In addition, leading tire makers Michelin and Toyo Tires also aligned their sustainability policies with the GPSNR policy framework over the recent months. 

GPSNR member companies are required to align with the policy framework within their first six months at the platform.

The Singapore-based body is also expanding its capacity building activities in Thailand and elsewhere. 

A dedicated capacity building working group is currently calling for volunteers to join the GPSNR’s ‘Thailand national subgroup’ to “conceptualise, plan, and oversee implementation of capacity building initiatives in Thailand.”

The same working group is also developing a platform position on agroforestry, beginning with the formation of an agroforestry task force in September 2021. 

The task force, said GPSNR, will review the existing literature, consult with stakeholder groups, and recommend a GPSNR view on agroforestry.