Sumitomo Rubber Holds Kickoff Ceremony for Pilot Project Toward Achieving Sustainable Natural Rubber
Oct. 27. 2022
The Sumitomo Rubber Group is pleased to announce that we held a kickoff ceremony this past September in Jambi Province, Indonesia to celebrate the resumption of our “Traceability and Transparency Pilot Project,” which had been suspended until then due to the pandemic. This pilot project brings together our group’s natural rubber procurement subsidiary (SUMITOMO RUBBER SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.), a producer and distributor of natural rubber based in Singapore (Halcyon Agri Corporation Ltd.) and a natural rubber processor based in Indonesia (PT. Hok Tong).
Launched with initial support from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF*1), this pilot project aims to promote efforts to improve the traceability*2 and transparency of natural rubber. With the further aim of improving living standards for farmers producing natural rubber, we are also working together with Halcyon Agri Corporation to study actual conditions for natural rubber farmers as well as the distribution channels that they use to bring their product to market while at the same time providing them with training, free fertilizer and other forms of support.
As an active participant in GPSNR (Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber), the Sumitomo Rubber Group formulated and released the first edition of our “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy” in November 2018 in order to codify our efforts to ensure that natural rubber will be a sustainable resource for the future. We then revised our “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy” in August 2021 with the aim of further expanding our efforts to tackle deforestation and human rights issues related to working conditions in regions that produce natural rubber.
▷Sumitomo Rubber Group “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy” Website
https://www.srigroup.co.jp/sustainability/genki/integrity/pdf/integrity_5_3_2_en.pdf
In accordance with our “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy,” the Sumitomo Rubber Group will continue working with various stakeholders throughout our supply chains and beyond to actively promote various efforts to realize a sustainable future for natural rubber.
■Halcyon Agri Corporation Ltd. Corporate Profile
■SUMITOMO RUBBER SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. Corporate Profile
(Reference)
■News Release: Sumitomo Rubber Establishes “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy”
(November 16, 2018): https://www.srigroup.co.jp/english/newsrelease/2018/sri/2018_090.html
■News Release: Sumitomo Rubber Group Updates “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy”
(August 31, 2021): https://www.srigroup.co.jp/english/newsrelease/2021/sri/2021_067.html
Scene from the Kickoff Ceremony
Launched with initial support from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF*1), this pilot project aims to promote efforts to improve the traceability*2 and transparency of natural rubber. With the further aim of improving living standards for farmers producing natural rubber, we are also working together with Halcyon Agri Corporation to study actual conditions for natural rubber farmers as well as the distribution channels that they use to bring their product to market while at the same time providing them with training, free fertilizer and other forms of support.
As an active participant in GPSNR (Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber), the Sumitomo Rubber Group formulated and released the first edition of our “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy” in November 2018 in order to codify our efforts to ensure that natural rubber will be a sustainable resource for the future. We then revised our “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy” in August 2021 with the aim of further expanding our efforts to tackle deforestation and human rights issues related to working conditions in regions that produce natural rubber.
▷Sumitomo Rubber Group “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy” Website
https://www.srigroup.co.jp/sustainability/genki/integrity/pdf/integrity_5_3_2_en.pdf
In accordance with our “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy,” the Sumitomo Rubber Group will continue working with various stakeholders throughout our supply chains and beyond to actively promote various efforts to realize a sustainable future for natural rubber.
■Halcyon Agri Corporation Ltd. Corporate Profile
| Trade Name | : Halcyon Agri Corporation Ltd. |
| Location | : Haw Par Centre, Republic of Singapore |
| Capitalization | : 604M USD |
| Representative | : David Li Xue Tao |
| Founding | : 2010 |
| Scope of Business | : Manufacture & Sale of Natural Rubber |
■SUMITOMO RUBBER SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. Corporate Profile
| Trade Name | : SUMITOMO RUBBER SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. |
| Location | : HarbourFront Centre, Republic of Singapore |
| Capitalization | : 18M USD |
| Equity Ratio | : Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.: 100% |
| Representative | : Ryuichiro Yamazaki |
| Founding | : January 2020 |
| Start of Operations | : April 2020 |
| Scope of Business | : Procurement of Natural Rubber for the Sumitomo Rubber Group |
| No. of Employees | : 13 (as of September 2022) |
(Reference)
■News Release: Sumitomo Rubber Establishes “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy”
(November 16, 2018): https://www.srigroup.co.jp/english/newsrelease/2018/sri/2018_090.html
■News Release: Sumitomo Rubber Group Updates “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy”
(August 31, 2021): https://www.srigroup.co.jp/english/newsrelease/2021/sri/2021_067.html
| ※1. | The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is a prominent environmental conservation organization active in over 100 countries. |
| ※2. | The term “traceability” refers to the ability to identify and trace the origins and distribution channels of natural rubber throughout supply chains. |
| ※3. | Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber: Formed in October 2018, GPSNR is an initiative that brings together tire manufacturers, natural rubber suppliers, automobile manufacturers, NGOs and other stakeholders. |