Giti Tire has joined the GPSNR (Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber), an international membership-driven platform established two years ago to improve the social, environmental and economic sustainability for the global natural rubber value chain.
Approximately 13.8 million tons of natural rubber, a widely traded tropical global commodity, was produced in 2019 with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand being the top producers. Prior to the establishment of GPSNR in March 2019, there were very little collective and focused efforts among the different stakeholders across the natural rubber chain to ensure that the supply chain was being managed ethically and sustainably.
That changed with the official launch of GPSNR spearheaded by the Tire Industry Project, a CEO-led sustainability forum for the tire industry under the umbrella of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The GPSNR brings tire manufacturers, other major rubber buyers and processors, car makers, international NGOs and smallholders together under an ambitious set of priorities to ensure the sustainable production and supply of natural rubber.
GPSNR asks members to commit to 12 principles, which include important direct-impact goals such as forest sustainability, water management, anti-corruption, land use, labor and human rights, along with crucial process-oriented principles such as traceability, transparent reporting, auditing protocols, and training and education.
Demand for natural rubber is expected to rise as global automobile production increases. The global tire industry buys 70 percent of all natural rubber used today; therefore, it has a clear role in ensuring this raw material is cultivated in a way that respects communities, the environment, and long-term viability of natural rubber production.
Giti Tire Group (headquartered in Singapore) has been in the tire business since 1951. Giti Tire produces a broad range of tire products, serving major original equipment vehicle manufacturers, tire retailers, tire dealers, auto service outlets and consumers in more than 130 countries worldwide.
Giti Tire (USA) Ltd., based in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, is the sales, marketing, and distribution company for Giti, GT Radial, Primewell and Dextero branded tires in North America.
