European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers to continue working to ensure a deforestation-free natural rubber value chain
EUROPEAN TYRE AND RUBBER MANUFACTURERS TO CONTINUE WORKING TO ENSURE A DEFORESTATION-FREE NATURAL RUBBER VALUE CHAIN
Work on guidelines to better tailor traceability for natural rubber should be prioritised
Brussels, 6 December 2022 – The EU Institutions have reached a provisional agreement on the EU Deforestation Regulation. The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) has confirmed its commitment to continue working with a wide range of stakeholders to build a sustainable supply chain for natural rubber. Therefore, ETRMA actively calls for clear guidelines on traceability, to pave the way to an effective implementation of this Regulation.
Fazilet Cinaralp, ETRMA Secretary General said, “ETRMA and its members firmly support initiatives aimed at halting deforestation and forest degradation, including human rights protection. The industry has been working on the topic for several years, including carrying out key activities on the ground through the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR). This is based on international cooperation with producer countries, aligning governments, businesses, smallholders, NGOs and local stakeholders on land use governance.”
Sustainable sourcing is essential for the future of the tyre and rubber industry, in particular the supply of natural rubber, a critical raw material for the whole mobility ecosystem and beyond. When tackling the issue of deforestation, the industry has always sought to make an impact by putting its focus where risks are highest.
Fazilet Cinaralp continued, “Although we share the same values and commitment to fighting deforestation, traceability to the ‘plot of land’ is still particularly challenging in the natural rubber sector because of the social structure and organization of local communities as well as the fragmentation and complexity of the natural rubber supply chain.
Provisions on how to implement the law will be key and are needed as soon as possible: traceability requirements must be clarified, and we look forward to working on developing effective and implementable rules through commodity-specific guidelines.”
ETRMA reiterates its commitment to preserving biodiversity and working towards zero-deforestation natural rubber supply chains and remains open to dialogue on how to implement the law requirements accordingly.
