SINGAPORE — The International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) has agreed to work with the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) to build cooperation between the groups.
The groups signed a Memorandum of Understading Aug. 5 in Singapore Aug. 5 that aims at consolidating, developing and detailing the cooperation between the IRSG and the GPSNR, the IRSG said.
It will also help the two organizations achieve common objectives in the sustainable production and consumption of natural rubber, it said.
The IRSG and the GPSNR have identified several areas for immediate cooperation, including:
- The definition of natural rubber sustainability and identification of appropriate standards, building on the IRSG's SNR-1 project.
- The socio-economic impacts of NR sustainability on smallholders in producing countries.
- Land-tenure rights and sustainable incomes for smallholders.
- The impact of climate change on NR plantations and how to mitigate those risks.
The IRSG, an intergovernmental organization that brings together the world's rubber-producing and -consuming nations to discuss issues of common interest, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.
The GPSNR, which has the mission to lead improvements in the socio-economic and environmental performance of the natural rubber value chain, was founded in November 2017 as an offshoot of the Tire Industry Project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.