At the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, leaders from governments, businesses, NGOs, and civil society gathered to identify concrete solutions to mitigate climate risks, reduce emissions, slow global warming, and advance adaptation strategies to protect both people and the planet.
Toward a Sustainable and Equitable Natural Rubber Economy
Table of Contents
To address current environmental challenges, decisive actions are required to change how we manage natural resources, redesign renewable-material products with lower energy use, adopt innovative production processes that minimize waste, and ensure that materials are used efficiently and reused whenever possible.
Natural Rubber (NR) can meet many of these criteria and become a key component of a circular bio-based forest economy, by:
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Replacing synthetic materials and fossil fuels to cut greenhouse gas emissions;
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Acting as a carbon sink that contributes to climate-change mitigation;
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Supporting the adaptation of other systems to changing climatic conditions.
NR is a vital economic sector in many countries and carries strong social importance, providing livelihoods for around 40 million people worldwide, with 85% of production coming from smallholders. For NR to fully achieve its potential, an enabling policy environment is essential. Governments must support local communities and build pathways toward a more sustainable economy.
Integrating Natural Rubber into National Climate Commitments
At COP28, 64 countries joined the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-Level Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action, pledging to strengthen their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and climate plans. Given NR’s significant potential in climate action and sustainable development, governments of both producing and consuming nations are urged to include NR in their NDCs — particularly in areas such as land use, afforestation, and sustainable forest management.
Addressing Inequality and Social Vulnerability
Climate change is closely tied to patterns of global inequality. The poorest and most vulnerable populations bear the heaviest burdens while contributing the least to the crisis. Although progress has been made toward a sustainable NR economy, more efforts are needed to ensure that communities producing this strategic raw material are protected.
Reliable socioeconomic data must be improved to assess potential climate impacts on livelihoods, employment, and health. Women, children, people with disabilities, migrant workers, and the elderly are among the groups most vulnerable to climate risks.
In particular, women in the NR sector face disproportionate challenges due to limited access to finance and fewer economic resources. Excluding women’s perspectives from climate decision-making can hinder progress. Gender dynamics within the NR value chain should be recognized — both men and women bring unique expertise that enriches community-level decision-making and enhances resilience in smallholder production systems.
Strengthening Collaboration and Youth Participation
A sustainable and equitable NR economy must be the central goal for all stakeholders. COP28 reaffirmed that climate action and inclusivity must advance together to meet the Paris Agreement targets. Governments and industries should cooperate urgently to create policies and projects that unlock NR’s potential, safeguard production, and promote prosperity for local communities.
IRRDB Discussion on COP28
The International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB) held discussions on how the natural rubber industry could engage more effectively with COP28.
Key points included:
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Promoting NR as a green industry with strong carbon sequestration capabilities;
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Highlighting the environmental benefits of rubber forests as major CO₂ sinks;
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Emphasizing NR’s role in climate-change mitigation to strengthen market demand and support higher prices.
Youth involvement was also identified as crucial to promoting NR’s climate value. Programs can begin by sharing factual NR–climate content on social media and improving communication of NR’s positive contributions globally.
Future research should focus on positioning NR as a climate-mitigation solution, ensuring that subsequent COP conferences recognize and support the NR industry’s sustainability benefits. To facilitate this, a task force was formed, with NextGeNRE appointed as its secretariat.