GPSNR progresses response to EU deforestation regs

Singapore - The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) has reported progress with its efforts to address challenges presented by the EU’s decision to add natural rubber to its list of commodities covered by the bloc’s deforestation regulations.

Since September, GPSNR’s strategy and objectives working group has been working on a proposal for the definition of ‘polygons’ in the EU regulation, in response to a request from member organisation the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association.

The work is being carried out by a specially dedicated ‘subgroup on risk’ which is headed by two recently appointed co-chairs: Maggie Fitzherbert from Zoological Society of London and Ayako Itoh from Bridgestone.

In December, the risk subgroup began working on a series of traceability tools webinars for GPSNR members to present on some tools available that would help members map their supply chain.

The subgroup is also working on a pilot traceability study to investigate what it takes (costs, time, labour) for a company to map its supply shed. The subgroup is also working with a consortium to develop a risk assessment matrix.

The risk subgroup has also carried out a study of the various definitions of ‘polygons’ in the EU deforestation regulation through an extensive survey conducted for GPSNR members.

Such moves are key to addressing the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU market, noted GPSNR.

The broad-based rubber value-chain platform is urging EU regulators to continue to engage with the rubber and tire sector on these issues.

The goal, it said, should be “to ensure that the due diligence requirements ultimately deliver social and environmental benefits, including eliminating deforestation from rubber supply chains and improving smallholder livelihoods.”

In particular, GPSNR wants to see the adoption of “a risk-based approach at jurisdictional or landscape level with mitigation and impact driven capacity building actions would promote inclusive and scalable progress in the smallholder context.”

This, it argues, would effectively address the goal of preventing products derived from deforestation caused by natural rubber from being placed on EU markets.

GPSNR's stated policy is, therefore, that any deforestation regulation must align with the following factors: 

• Sustainable natural rubber must promote equity for smallholders. Smallholders represent 85% of natural rubber production globally. The design of any regulation relating to natural rubber must consider and mitigate any potential negative impacts on smallholder farmers while aiming to improve the livelihoods of farmers who adopt sustainable practices.

• Considering the complexity of the natural rubber supply chain, a risk-based approach that has jurisdictional traceability as its foundation offers a practical and effective approach to addressing deforestation. While advances in traceability are being made in the natural rubber sector, it is currently infeasible to conduct farm-to-factory tracing in all cases. A risk-based approach would include requiring some farm-to-factory tracing where risk is non-negligible, but not in every natural rubber supply chain.

• Capacity building to promote sustainable practices, for smallholders and plantations alike, is an essential tool to curb deforestation in the natural rubber supply chain, so any regulation should prioritize funding to enhance capacity building.