Yokohama Rubber Cooperating in International Research Project Aimed at Sustainable Production and Use of Natural Rubber

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that the results of an international joint research project for “Development of Complex Technologies for Prevention and Control of Rubber Tree Leaf Fall Diseases” (hereinafter, “this research project” or “the project”) were announced on December 9 at the 5th Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting (toward application of joint technologies for new breeding of natural rubber trees) held at Universitas Indonesia. Yokohama Rubber has been participating in this research project as a cooperating corporation. The project, which aims to achieve the sustainable production and use of natural rubber by preventing and controlling rubber tree diseases, has been selected as a research project for the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) program, which is jointly implemented by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with support from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

This research project is an international project being conducted jointly by industry, government, and academic institutions in Japan, including the national research and development agency RIKEN, and institutions in Indonesia, the world’s second largest producer of natural rubber. Most of the natural rubber currently used by industry, including as a raw material for tires, is made from the sap of the Para rubber tree. However, leaf fall disease has become widespread, especially in Indonesia, causing serious damage to rubber production. This research project aims to stabilize production on smallholders, which account for more than 90% of Indonesia’s natural rubber production, through a multifaceted approach that includes using pesticides to exterminate leaf fall disease, establishing technology for breeding disease-resistant clones, and using images from satellites and drones to detect infected areas in the early stages.

Yokohama Rubber has been participating as a cooperating corporation since the project was launched in 2020 and since 2024 has been studying the effect of pesticides selected through a screening process on the quality of natural rubber. Field evaluations on large plantations have confirmed that properly applied pesticides do not negatively affect rubber’s properties nor the properties of vulcanized rubber, and Yokohama Rubber is now cooperating in a survey to determine how the smallholders targeted by this research may be affected. Yokohama Rubber’s “Procurement Policy for Sustainable Natural Rubber » includes providing support for those involved in the supply chain, including small-scale farmers. The Company believes participation in this research project will contribute to the sustainable production of natural rubber and more stable incomes for natural rubber farmers. Yokohama Rubber also is participating as an official partner institution on SATREPS research project for « Utilization Technology of Rubber Seeds for Green Products to Mitigate Global Warming and Plastic Pollution,” which aims to solve environmental problems through the effective use of natural rubber seeds.

Under the sustainability slogan “Caring for the Future,” Yokohama Rubber is creating shared value by addressing social issues through its business activities.

Source: Yokohama