Rubber is used for an array of everyday products, write from pencil erasers to tyres as well as in fashion as latex. Natural rubber is derived from latex, found in the cells of rubber-producing plants.
The potential of natural rubber in enhancing sustainability in the environment was recently discussed at a formal side event of the XV World Forestry Congress in Seoul hosted by the Republic of Korea. At the event, the Director of Programs and Platforms and director for Latin America at CIFOR-ICRAF (Center for International Forestry Research- World Agroforestry), Vincent Gitz said, “Rubber is emblematic of the green economy and for sustainability because it has the potential to replace synthetic materials and fossil fuels while contributing to climate change mitigation. It is important to raise the visibility of rubber and its potential to put in place an enabling environment and mechanisms that facilitate sustainable practices.”
While rubber is native to Amazonian rainforests, today a majority of natural rubber production takes place in Asia due to plant diseases. After Thailand and Indonesia, India is the third-largest natural rubber-producing country in the world, contributing to about nine per cent of global output. Despite the large output, the production of rubber is dominated by small holdings in India accounting for 88 per cent of area and production. As per experts, more sustainable practices and standards will help smallholders struggling due to climate change and market changes, improving their livelihoods along the way.
Natural rubber can also prove to be a boon for environmental sustainability due to many reasons. Along with being an eco-friendlier alternative to synthetic materials, rubber cultivation also produces fewer emissions due to a lower need for fertilisers or tilling, while also being less water-intensive. K.N. Raghavan, executive director of the Rubber Board of India under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said, “Natural-rubber plantations can also support a wide variety of other plants that increase biodiversity; the rubber trees are often intercropped with medicinal plants, food crops and fruit trees.”
But even with the sustainable positives rubber comes with, many issues related to rubber production have led to environmental struggles. For example, if natural rubber products are made by mixing other chemicals for durability, the product is rendered non-biodegradable. The way to sustainable rubber production is only possible with more and more environment-friendly practices introduced along the value chain.