Halcyon Agri Corporation Limited (“Halcyon Agri”), the world’s leading natural rubber company, has launched BOUNCE, a movement to drive industry and consumer change for an equitable natural rubber industry.
BOUNCE is a call-to-action for suppliers, manufacturers and stakeholders to develop and adopt a set of sustainability standards for natural rubber production.
The movement also aims to increase consumer awareness of how natural rubber is made – and to encourage them to demand a sustainable option when purchasing rubber goods.
Natural rubber is a staple component in consumer goods across the transport, health and leisure sectors, and is consumed daily by billions worldwide.
However, its journey from rubber tree to consumer is poorly understood by most.
Demand for natural rubber reached 14 million tonnes last year, with 92% of that volume produced by 6 million subsistence small farmers across South-East Asia and Africa.
Unsustainably low rubber prices have put immense pressure on those famers and the natural environments they work in – which has left the rubber industry in disarray, verging on collapse.
An outdated pricing system, severe pay inequality in the industry and underinvested and uneducated farming practices have left many smallholders facing financial ruin, having caused significant deforestation when prices were excessively high only a few years ago.
To address these issues, BOUNCE proposes six key changes for the industry to adopt, each anchored by a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
These SDGs form the guiding principles that define the BOUNCE movement. It is BOUNCE’s long-term aim that these standards be used to develop a framework for sustainable rubber, and a stamp of approval that consumers understand and trust.
These changes are:
- To pay farmers at least their domestic minimum wage
- To factor production costs into the price of natural rubber
- To invest in innovation and digitisation
- To support a transparent and sustainable supply chain
- To incentivise farmers to fight climate change
- To encourage sustainable farming practices
As a first step of creating a coalition of industry and consumer backing for positive change, BOUNCE is calling for pledges of support. Pledges can be made via BOUNCE’s website
Robert Meyer, CEO of Halcyon Agri comments: “When buying almost any other product, consumers have a sustainable or fair-trade option to consider – and increasingly they are making that choice.
“The end goal for BOUNCE is to be a hallmark for sustainable rubber produced in a fair and equitable manner to all supply chain participants.
This will allow the producers of products that contain natural rubber to carry the BOUNCE hallmark all the way through to the final consumer who can in turn make an educated choice.
Change needs to happen now – before the supply side is damaged irreparably.
We cannot go this journey alone and today we call on all rubber players, on civil society groups who have helped our industry self-regulate, and on consumers, to help us initiate that change.”
Supporters of the BOUNCE movement can also pledge their support via Halcyon Agri’s website and social media channels.
About BOUNCE
BOUNCE is a movement to support the material that keeps the world moving.
Natural rubber is an irreplaceable component in tyres, condoms and medical equipment, and it powers some of the largest consumer sectors in the world.
Everyone, everywhere, every day uses a product that wouldn’t exist without natural rubber – yet the story behind natural rubber is not well known.
BOUNCE aims to shine a light on that situation.
We want to make the natural rubber supply chain fair and sustainable for the people and communities who power it – and to empower the consumers of natural rubber to demand the most ecological and ethical product possible.
Support BOUNCE. Demand sustainable rubber
About Halcyon Agri
Halcyon Agri (SGX: 5VJ) is a leading natural rubber company with a production capacity of 1.63 million metric tonnes per annum.
The Group owns 38 processing factories in most major rubber producing origins and produces sustainable natural rubber under the audited HEVEAPRO brand.
The Group leverages its extensive network of warehouses, terminals, laboratories and sales offices across the world to distribute a range of natural rubber grades, latex and specialised rubber for the tyre and nontyre industries.
Halcyon Agri is headquartered in Singapore and has about 17,000 employees in over 50 locations.
REFS