Price premium for sustainable rubber to conserve forests and help smallholders

About 85% of natural rubber is grown by small holder farmers in Asia. The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) is working with individual farmers to transition to more sustainable practices, such as by providing financial and technical assistance to pay workers fair wages, clear land without fire, and use less chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Changes are also needed at the government level, such as provision of secure land tenure rights, and companies must have more transparent supply chains. The aim is that sustainable rubber will be sold at a higher price, giving the farmers a greater profit. For this to happen successfully, there must be a demand for sustainable rubber. Currently the general public have a poor understanding of where rubber comes from – awareness and understanding needs to increase in order for there to be sufficient demands for more expensive, sustainable products. Read the full article here.