SINGAPORE—The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) has drawn up an industry-wide assurance system providing a "standardized stage-by-stage" process to implement and verify sustainability across the natural rubber value chain.
The assurance system is currently being piloted by some volunteer manufacturers and processors until the end of August, said GPSNR, which represents nearly 60 percent of the value chain.
The model covers four mandatory elements:
- an "assurance assessment checklist" that will spell out the minimum requirements that members will have to meet on all aspects of the GPSNR policy framework;
- an "assurance protocol" that provides guidelines to external assessors,
- a "remediation protocol" that covers actions and timelines to close the gaps identified by the assessors; and
- a "members journey," which is a broad timeline to achieve these requirements.
Additionally, the model includes tools that will support members in putting the assurance model into practice, GPSNR said June 21, such as a due diligence framework and national risk assessments.
Three of the four mandatory elements have been put up for public consultation, seeking comments and additional input to finetune the difference aspects of the model.
The feedback collected via the pilots and the public consultation will be integrated into the assurance model and put up for members' review at the annual general assembly in October.
By 2025, all GPSNR members will be using this model in their operations.
"Having a system that can verify and cross check the implementation of our members' commitments has always been our overarching goal at GPSNR," platform Director Stefano Savi said.
Members have now voted in the assurance system, demonstrating "their intent to deliver on their sustainability promises," Savid added.
GPSNR members are meeting in Singapore this week to iron out the details of the minimum requirements spelled out in the assurance model checklist. They also will discuss the nature of the claims that can be made, the feedback from the pilots and the assurance protocol for third party assessors.
