The Zoological Society of London rates rubber manufacturers for ESG

The Zoological Society of London scores rubber producers and traders for their sustainable practices.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has assessed 30 rubber manufacturers using its Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit (SPOTT).

The assessment includes 13 of the largest such as the tyre companies Michelin, Pirelli and disposable rubber glove maker Top Glove.

Previously used on palm oil producers and the timber industry, the toolkit covers the companies’ public policies and commitments for environmental, social and governance issues.

According to ZSL SPOTT, the global demand for natural rubber ­– 70% of which is used for tyres – has led to more than 5mln hectares of deforestation in recent years.

Their research claims that 14% of companies commit to trace all rubber from smallholders back to its origin by a target year, and that 5% of manufacturers and traders publicly report how much of their supply from third parties is traceable to smallholders, at a jurisdictional level.

ZSL SPOTT say that as small-scale farmers produce 85% of the world’s natural rubber companies will struggle to claim sustainable production without supply chain transparency.

The research states that although 62% of companies sourcing from smallholders had a public commitment to zero-deforestation, only 10% publicly reported evidence of monitoring that or ecosystem conversion.

The scores were mixed across sectors and companies though with rubber manufacturers scoring higher than producers and processors, 42% and 37% relatively, while Michelin scored the highest of all at nearly 82%.