Saving the Brazilian Rainforest with Natural Rubber
To stop deforestation in the Brazilian rainforest, the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), one of the world’s largest nature conservation organizations, supports local rubber farmers. For the people of the Amazon region, rubber collecting has a long tradition and represents an important source of income. The sap of rubber trees can be tapped carefully in a healthy rainforest, so that nature and the trees themselves are not harmed. We are talking about forest giants that grow 30 meters tall and, in some cases, live for over 200 years.
After large-scale rubber plantations were established in Asia with cheap labor,the price of rubber fell dramatically, so families in the Amazon could no longer make a living from rubber harvesting. They were forced to sell the rainforest, which was cut down for soybean cultivation and cattle pastures.
To ensure the rainforest is preserved and farmers can once again harvest rubber under ethical conditions, the WWF has placed over 60,000 hectares of rainforest under its care. Soon, this will increase to 150,000 hectares. The organization connects rubber collectors and offers trainings for harvest planning, marketing, and negotiations.
They also provide modern equipment, for example, for transportation, as the harvested rubber must be transported to distant locations, often requiring several days’ journey. This project is part of the WWF program to support and preserve indigenous peoples and their culture. This is nature care on a holistic level and is part of Holistic Living.
Clean and Sustainable: Natural rubber from wild Trees
Rubber is a product that has become indispensable in our daily lives. It is a component of thousands of everyday items such as building materials, mattresses, stretchy and water-repellent clothing and shoes, aircraft and car tires, industrial belts and mats. Most of the rubber in the world is synthetically produced from petroleum, while 40 percent is natural rubber. The natural rubber is extracted from the latex of the rubber tree, a process called tapping.
The rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) originally comes from South America, more specifically from the Amazon basin. It requires a tropical climate to grow. 600 kilos of rubber can be harvested in three months. This requires rubber collectors to walk through the rainforest for hours every day. Around 100 trees are cut in the morning. In the afternoon, the latex that oozes from the bark is collected in bowls. It is important not to harvest too much at once, so the sap continues to flow naturally. Wild natural rubber is of better quality and therefore more expensive. It is significantly more elastic and resilient than synthetic varieties, especially when it comes to vehicle wheels.
Photo Pexels by M. Noor TM
Photo Pexels by Srattha Nualsate
Sustainable cultivation of rubber trees
After natural rubber found industrial use and increased in value, plantations were increasingly established in India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. 85 percent of them are run by smallholder farmers, who struggle with low wages and poor working conditions. Nature also suffers, as natural rubber is primarily cultivated in monocultures. Since it’s easier to harvest the rubber when no other plants grow between the trees, insect infestations are more common, necessitating the use of pesticides.
In addition, the soil erodes faster due to a lack of plants that absorb water from heavy tropical rains. Since synthetic fertilizers are also used on plantations to increase yields, the soil become depleted over time. After 12 to 15 years, the trees are exhausted and must be cut. The wood is then used in the furniture industry. The soil is also poor in minerals and water. The farmers face poverty, if they have no other sources of income.
The WWF project aims to prevent this and involves cultivating rubber trees in natural forests in the Amazon region. The focus is on plants that nourish the soil and keep pests away. To increase farmers’ yields, additional crops such as coffee, cocoa, and vegetables are also cultivated. This secures income if the rubber prices fall.
International Round Table on Natural Rubber
On international level, WWF is involved in the Global Roundtable on Sustainable Rubber (GPSNR). The Roundtable brings together rubber producers, tire and rubber manufacturers as well as retailers. They are commited to ensure fair, socially responsible, and environmentally sound procurement and supply chains for natural rubber. This includes respecting human rights, improving farmers living conditions, and protecting ecosystems. WWF works with regional NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and smallholder farmers, who regularly monitor and document their work and progress.
Sustainable Alternatives to Neoprene and Elastane
Many rubber products are made from petroleum, which is harmful to the environment and health, including neoprene and elastane. These two materials are absolutely indispensable in fashion, partly because they are water-repellent and provide elasticity to garments, as we know from bra straps, trouser and skirt waistbands, stretchy socks, jeans, leggings, T-shirts and swimwear.
Since many years the American company Yulex produces rubber from non-tropical rubber plants, the Guayule plants, also known as Mexican rubber trees in a very sustainable way. These plants grow primarily in the semi-desert regions of Mexico and the southern United States. The company itself owns a huge farm in Arizona.
To produce natural rubber from Guayule, the plant milk, also called latex, is not tapped like from rubber trees. To get the milk, the entire plant is used, which is first ground and then washed. Finally, the extract is vulcanized with sulfur, i.e. cross-linked and solidified by heating.
The rubber is primarily used to make tires and latex gloves. For this the company developed a material called Yulex-Pure. They became the first and market leader for Latex gloves in the USA, as rubber from Goayule is least allergenic. They also produce rubber coatings for medical devices such as cardiac catheters and probes, as well as for toys and balloons.
Yulex has also developed an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to elastane, called YULASTIC, which more and more manufacturers worldwide are using, to make their clothing more stretchy. They also created a special foam rubber, the award-winning Yulex® foam with Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, an avid surfer who was dissatisfied with his synthetic wetsuit. Together they developed the first neoprene-free wetsuit using Yulex foam in 2000. It is the world’s first natural, plant-based alternative to Neoprene and Geoprene. Today, major clothing manufacturers, such as Decathlon use this foam instead of Neoprene. Yoga mats are also made from it (YULEX® YOGA).
Supporting natural rubber farms in Vietnam
Yulex also uses natural rubber from sustainable rubber farms in Thailand. For this purpose, the company established the Klongpang Cooperative, which consists of 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of farmland. They also collaborate with the Thailand Forestry Certification Council (TFCC). The initiative provides technical and financial support, market access, and training on sustainable forestry.
Without the support of TFCC, it would be very difficult for Yulex to work directly with and support the numerous smallholder farmers. Yulex finances the cooperative with 50 percent of its income and ensures ethical working conditions and distribution.
