Like its peers, the Sri Lankan rubber industry has been hard hit by the COVID 19. However, the pandemics will bring some opportunities to the sector, believes Ravi Dadlani, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP), and MD of CEAT Kelani Holdings. “The demand for PPE is high and will be sustained in time to come until COVID 19 is no longer a pandemic. Especially gloves and other wearables made of rubber will be a good area for the Sri Lankan rubber industry to focus on,” says Dadlani an interview with Tyre Trends.

How do you see the impact of COVID 19 on Sri Lanka’s rubber industry?

Sri Lanka, like all exporting countries, have been largely impacted. The shutdown has caused a tremendous loss both in terms of production and the subsequent shut down of countries resulting in the cancellation of orders widely across the tyre industry. We are concerned that the impact fully on the industry is still to be realised. We will, once the supply chain and the related industries come back online, be able to quantify the extent of the impact. We are however positive that the Sri Lanka rubber industry is poised to benefit from the need arising from the COVID 19 impact. Especially the demand for PPE is high and will be sustained in time to come until COVID 19 is no longer a pandemic. Especially gloves and other wearables made of rubber will be a good area for the Sri Lankan rubber industry to focus on. Also, the government suspension of importing of tyres is poised to increase demand for domestic manufacturers of tyres at least in the short term, which will be a boost to the local rubber industry. Impact on the loss of exports and the timings of the opening of overseas markets would be critical at this point. 

The rubber industry has always been the country’s one of the main sectors and exporters. Do you think that the industry currently is being explored to its fullest potential?

There is a lot of potential for rubber in Sri Lanka. The need to increase the production of rubber through productivity improvements and the need to extend the rubber growing acreage is critical at this time. We have leading manufacturers of international repute and strong local manufacturers catering to export markets both in the tyre and gloves segments. 

The country also has the potential to enter new markets and customer segments with new products. There is more that needs to be done in terms of R&D and technological collaborations to enter high-value rubber-based product segments. With major global brands producing in Sri Lanka, we have a greater ability to increase trading activity and improve international sales as a regional hub for the industry.

What kind of support do you expect from the government and industry-related bodies for the long term?

Firstly, the rubber sector was the first to benefit from the priority given by the government initiative to commence operations. The sector benefited by the fast track approval to be classified as an essential sector. We expect the government to continue to have consistency when it comes to policy matters. We are also seeing a strong support base coming in terms of the Board of Investment and the Export Development Board for the rubber cluster. We need to fast track the planned policy-based approach of increasing rubber production in the country through the rubber master plan, with incentives if need be for plantations to spearhead this initiative. Also, research and development on rubber yield increase, all-weather rubber tapping techniques need to be introduced with governments thrust towards increasing rubber production.

There should also be incentives for exporters to invest in high-value rubber product manufacturing. We expect the government to educate the smallholders with international best practices to manage the rubber crop for better yield and output through RDD & RRI as key government institutions. The industry prefers to buy more local rubber, but there is a shortfall every year vs the demand. We also need to drive the public-private partnership research & development and must invest more in laboratory and testing facilities to provide certifications that are required for the export markets within Sri Lanka. The Government will also need to look at domestic supply chain inefficiencies which may hold back on the growth potential of the industry.

When we talk about tyres, how does the Sri Lankan tyre industry make its mark globally, especially in the solid tyre segment?

Absolutely it does. Sri Lanka is considered market leaders in certain categories of the solid tyre export segment. There are the numbers of global and local companies operating out of Sri Lanka holding a good foothold in the global solid tyre market. The global rubber industry is worth around USD 400 billion, out of which 65% is the tyre industry, given this, we have a market that we can increase our supply of both off road and on-road tyres, Sri Lanka has aggressively ventured into the global pneumatic agriculture, Off-road and industrial tyre segment which is estimated at USD 44b. We are confident that this position of strength will be maintained in the future, too in these segments. 

What are the challenges for tyre and rubber goods, especially for small and medium enterprises?

Key is the availability of rubber at consistent prices at the right quantities throughout the year. Currently, the industry is hampered with weather-related shortfalls in production coupled with plantations moving away from rubber and more profitable ventures depleting the total output. We consume 140,000 MT, and the local production is at 75,000 MT. Addressing these two areas will result in a stable supply of rubber for industries. It is very important that SMEs adopt technology and increase productivity and production to cater to the demand for rubber. 

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Hi-Green Carbon Limited has achieved a significant milestone in its sustainability operations by securing the prestigious ISCC EU Certification. This globally recognised endorsement highlights the company's adherence to rigorous international standards for environmental responsibility and supply chain integrity.

The certification verifies full compliance across the entire production process, from sourcing to delivery, emphasising traceability and operational transparency. It specifically validates the sustainable production of the company's key outputs, including recovered carbon black (rCB) and tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO). This accomplishment underscores Hi-Green Carbon’s commitment to circular economy principles and positions it as a leader in the production of sustainable industrial materials.

The company statement read: “This milestone not only strengthens our sustainability commitment but also deepens our collaboration with you, our valued clients and partners. With ISCC-certified products, you can have greater confidence in the environmental integrity and long-term sustainability of your supply chain, supporting your own green initiatives and carbon-reduction goals. We extend our sincere gratitude to our clients, partners, and team members for their consistent support and trust. Together, we are driving positive change and contributing to a cleaner, greener, and more circular future.”

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Bekaert has launched a sustainability label, inhera, to identify its top-performing solutions designed to help customers accelerate progress towards net-zero targets. The label is applied to products that meet defined criteria, including alignment with the EU Taxonomy Regulation, carbon-emission reduction, improved resource efficiency and support for circularity. Eight solutions currently carry the label.

The company said the initiative responds to rising expectations for transparency and credible sustainability claims. It presents inhera as a means of offering clearer information on the impact of its solutions across sectors including construction, automotive and energy.

The name reflects Bekaert’s stated commitment to integrating sustainability across its operations. Ann-Françoise Versele, Vice-President Sustainability, said: “Sustainability is inherent in everything we do at Bekaert. Through our products and processes, we aim to leave a legacy of sustainability for future generations. Our partners who choose inhera solutions are choosing to accelerate sustainability and create real impact.”

The eight labelled solutions include Ampact copper magnet wire for high-voltage electric-motor stators, which the company says delivers a 10 per cent reduction in direct CO₂ emissions. Flexisteel hoist ropes for elevators are designed to cut daily energy use by up to 36 per cent compared with traditional steel ropes.

Elyta Ultra and Mega Tensile tyre reinforcements provide up to 16 per cent CO₂ savings per tyre and support circular reuse. High-tensile steel cores for overhead power lines reduce steel consumption by more than 30 per cent.

Bezinal Vineyard Plus coatings, made with low-carbon raw materials, deliver more than 50 per cent CO₂ reduction and 14 percent lower life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. Bezinox non-magnetic armouring wire for submarine power cables is engineered to extend cable life and reduce operating temperatures.

Next-generation hose-wire reinforcement uses 28 per cent less wire and 5 per cent less rubber per hose, resulting in up to 70 percent lower CO₂ emissions, while subsea cable armouring wire made from at least 70 per cent recycled steel offers more than 50 per cent CO₂ savings and is fully recyclable at end-of-life.

Bekaert said additional products will be added to the inhera label as further innovations are developed.

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Yokohama Rubber has reported new findings from an international research programme aimed at combating leaf fall disease, a fungal infection that has disrupted natural rubber production in Indonesia, the world’s second-largest supplier.

The results were presented on 9 December at the fifth Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting held at Universitas Indonesia. The initiative, formally titled “Development of Complex Technologies for Prevention and Control of Rubber Tree Leaf Fall Diseases”, forms part of the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development, a scheme run by the Japan Science and Technology Agency and the Japan International Cooperation Agency with support from Japan’s foreign and education ministries.

The project brings together Japanese industry, government and academic institutions, including the national research agency RIKEN, with Indonesian partners. Its objective is to maintain output from smallholders, who account for more than 90 per cent of Indonesia’s natural rubber production. The programme is pursuing several approaches: pesticide-based disease control; the development of disease-resistant clones; and early detection using satellite and drone imagery.

Yokohama Rubber, which uses natural rubber as a principal raw material for tyres, has been involved since the project’s launch in 2020. The company began assessing pesticide effects on rubber quality in 2024, following a screening process. Field tests on large plantations have shown that correctly applied pesticides do not impair the properties of raw or vulcanised rubber. Yokohama Rubber is now contributing to research on how such treatments may affect smallholders.

The group said its “Procurement Policy for Sustainable Natural Rubber” incorporates support for participants across the supply chain, including small-scale farmers. It expects its role in the project to aid the sustainable production of natural rubber and help stabilise smallholder incomes. Yokohama Rubber is also an official partner in a separate SATREPS initiative on using rubber seeds to develop environmentally focused products intended to mitigate global warming and plastic pollution.

Under its sustainability theme, “Caring for the Future”, the company has emphasised links between its commercial activities and broader environmental and social objectives.

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Australia has released its first national specification for the use of crumb rubber asphalt on local roads, a move intended to give councils clearer guidance on designing and maintaining light-to-medium-duty networks and to strengthen domestic recycling demand for end-of-life tyres.

The Crumb Rubber Modified Dense Graded Asphalt (CRM DGA) Model Specification for light to medium duty roads was published by the Australian Flexible Pavement Association (AsPA) following collaboration with Tyre Stewardship Australia. The document offers standardised technical requirements for councils, which manage about 75 percent of the national road network — roughly 675,000km of streets and community-level infrastructure.

Existing asphalt standards were largely developed for higher-order state roads, leaving local governments to interpret specifications that did not reflect lower traffic loads or the environmental conditions typical of suburban and regional networks. The new model specification aims to close that gap by setting guidance aligned with the factors that most influence degradation on council roads, such as surface ageing and weather exposure.

The specification promotes the use of crumb rubber modified binders, which can extend pavement life under light-to-medium-duty conditions. Incorporating recycled rubber also aligns with broader circular-economy policies across Australia’s states and municipalities, which are seeking to reduce landfill and illegal dumping while supporting domestic tyre-recycling capacity.

AfPA said the CRM DGA Model Specification V1.0, dated October 2025, is publicly available. It includes requirements for mix design and materials, construction processes such as compaction and temperature control, and performance testing suited to council networks. It also offers practical guidance on integrating reclaimed asphalt pavement content.

Local governments seeking case studies and procurement tools on crumb rubber applications can access Tyre Stewardship Australia’s Crumb Rubber Resource Centre for further technical and project information.

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