"We are not only purchasing rubber, but we are also fostering a greater aim, which is the Green X Circle," GRI CEO Dr. Mahesha Ranasoma said.
"Through this initiative, we connect the rubber farmer to the crop farmer, who is the end-user of the GRI agricultural tires both in Sri Lanka and globally. We manufacture the tires using the rubber produced by the rubber farmer, and the crop farmer uses the tires to produce his harvest, which in turn is consumed by us as food. The Green X Circle is a sustainable ecosystem that brings all stakeholders together."
GRI works with the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka to provide training programs and build the capacity of NR farmers. Programs include the teaching of sustainable practices, efficient rubber tapping techniques as well as the correct farming methods to ensure that the natural rubber farmers have increased yields of high quality, the company said.
The rubber farmers were taken on a live virtual tour of GRI' tire plants .
manufacturing facilities. The event included the launch of GRI's natural rubber procurement app. The app will analyze supplier trends as GRI moves away from a paper-based manual data collection process.
