For the first time this year, the RRI invited all stakeholders to meet at the very heart of its initiative: the agroforestry rubber plantations in Thailand.
Bringing together farmers, NGOs, processors and brands, the visit provided everybody that has not been directly involved in the latex cultivation or processing a deeper insight into the traceable supply chain system of the RRI and how it can be used as a base for EUDR compliance. It also offered an opportunity for the farmers and our local partners of the Rubber Agroforestry for Sustainability Foundation to share their concerns about the future of rubber agroforestry which appears to be under threat of being pushed out of business due to better earning opportunities in palm oil.
This encouraged discussions about how the RRI can uphold the purchase guarantee, premium price system while still managing to accept more farmers into the cooperatives in order to prevent the agroforestry plantations which are home to many different species from being converted to less biodiverse monoculture plantations.
The conclusion? Encouraging more companies to become part of the RRI while also continuing to improve social and environmental standards will help us in the pursuit of a truly regenerative supply chain.
So if you are considering investing in a rubber supply chain that addresses social and environmental issues in collaboration with all stakeholders, we are happy to connect!
Comments