GPSNR claims “landmark year” as it strengthens collective commitment

Singapore — The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) has described 2025 as a “landmark year”, citing progress in collective responsibility, accountability and member-driven sustainability across the natural rubber (NR) value chain.

At its seventh general assembly on 15 Dec, the platform highlighted the launch of its risk-based assurance system as a “major milestone” for the year.

The system, GPSNR said, “sets clear sustainability expectations, introduces independent verification, and promotes continuous improvement beyond compliance”.

Developed collaboratively over several years, the framework is intended to provide a credible and globally relevant approach to advancing sustainability in the NR sector.

During the meeting, end-user companies reaffirmed their support for the initiative and agreed on a structured pathway towards full implementation within their category.

“This year marks a turning point for GPSNR,” said Stefano Savi, chief executive officer of GPSNR. “The assurance system gives our members a shared and trusted foundation for demonstrating progress across the value chain.”

Members also marked the first year of GPSNR’s shared investment mechanism, which enables manufacturers to equitably share the costs of large-scale capacity-building projects.

The mechanism is designed to deliver long-term benefits for upstream actors, particularly smallholders, the platform said.

“Sustainability cannot be achieved by one part of the value chain alone,” Savi added. “By investing together, our members are enabling more inclusive and impactful outcomes worldwide.”

Looking ahead to 2026, GPSNR said it will focus on supporting implementation of the assurance system through data gathering, member learning and cross-stakeholder dialogue.