Sumitomo Rubber Singapore, a natural rubber procurement company for the Sumitomo Rubber Group, recently participated in ‘Project Tree,’ an initiative led by Itochu Corporation to improve the sustainability of the natural rubber industry. 

Through participation in this project, the company aims to improve the traceability and sustainability of the natural rubber supply chain.

Natural rubber is a natural resource that is vital in modern society, with about 70 percent of global natural rubber consumption going towards the production of tyres. However, approximately 85 percent of global production relies on smallholders, mainly in Southeast Asia such as Thailand and Indonesia. The existing agricultural practices used by smallholders have limitations and there is also concerns about illegal logging, human rights issues and traditional farming techniques among others.

As part of its responsibility, the Sumitomo Rubber Group states it has been actively engaged in various efforts to improve the sustainability of its business activities. One of the most important of these efforts is working toward achieving sustainable natural rubber, which is the primary raw material in its main product: tyres. 

The Group says it promotes initiatives including carrying out risk assessment/reduction activities using application software that enables the mapping of natural rubber supply chains.

By participating in Project Tree, it expects to further drive initiatives that will help improve traceability and sustainability of the supply chain. Through this project, it aims to promote activities to support smallholder farmers, such as activities to identify/mitigate smallholder farmers’ risks associated with sustainability and their capacity building for yield increase. In addition, it will also strive to comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation by using blockchain technology and through the ‘Tree + (plus) rubber’ procurement, which provides excellent traceability.

It was in March 2023, Sumitomo Rubber unveiled its unique circular economy concept for the tyre industry called ‘TOWANOWA’. The Towanowa features a two-ring structure, with a ‘Sustainable Ring’ consisting of five processes in the value chain and a ‘Data Ring’ linking big data collected from each process. The aim is to provide new value by sharing/using data between the two rings.

Furthermore, it targets sustainable raw material procurement for natural rubber in the ‘Material Development & Procurement’ process of Towanowa. 

Black Swan Graphene Inc. (Black Swan) has formally stated that it has retained DS Market Solutions Inc. (DS Market) to offer market making services in compliance with TSXV standards, subject to the TSXV's approval.

With the aim of improving market depth and raising the liquidity of the company's common shares, DS Market will supply Black Swan with liquidity services in accordance with the terms of TSXV Policy 3.4. In addition to using its own funds to provide the services, DS Market has no direct or indirect stake in Black Swan's securities and no entitlement to purchase them, with the exception of assets required for liquidity. The services are offered by DS Market via Canaccord Direct DMA. DS Market has no direct or indirect stake in the firm or its securities, and Black Swan and DS Market are independent, unaffiliated, and unconnected businesses, reads the statement.

The statement further states that Black Swan will pay DS Market USD 5,000 per month from its available funds in exchange for the services for a minimum of one month, with the agreement being renewed for successive one-month durations. Thirty days before the end of the then-current term, either party may discontinue the agreement by giving writing notice to that effect. On 1 May 2025, DS Market will start offering its services.

The Rubber Board, which is observing its 77th anniversary this year, organised a press conference to showcase a novel method developed by the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) for recovering high-quality rubber from skim latex.

The new technique creates rubber lumps by treating the skim latex with a specific chemical mixture for 24 hours, then allowing the acid to coagulate. After that, these lumps may be dried and turned straight into skim crepe. About 3–4 percent of the rubber used to make Centrifuged Latex (Cenex) is skim latex, a by-product of the process. Cenex is frequently used in the production of goods including balloons, condoms, and gloves. About 10 percent of the natural rubber produced in India is converted into Cenex via centrifugation, which is accomplished at more than 40 centrifuging facilities.

The current method for recovering skim rubber is the acid coagulation of skim latex, which produces a slurry of skim rubber. After being packed into many plastic sacks, this slurry is allowed to solidify and dewater for two weeks. Skim crepe is made by further processing the resultant skim powder. But this traditional approach is labour-intensive, unrefined and results in bad odours, and it only generates rubber of poor grade. It has also caused public outcry and legal conflicts in the vicinity of Cenex enterprises, and it presents difficulties for wastewater treatment facilities. With the innovative method created by RRII, plastic bags are no longer used and processing takes only twenty-four hours. In addition to improving environmental sustainability and guaranteeing full recovery of premium rubber from skim latex, it drastically reduces offensive odours.

The Federation of Latex Processors (FLP), a group of owners of centrifuged latex factories, has been granted access to this technology on a fee basis. Other organizations and Cenex units can also purchase it. The product is marketed as Indian Purified Skim Rubber (IPSR) by the Rubber Board, which is also working on a patent for the concept. Rubber companies nationwide have expressed a strong interest in employing IPSR in product manufacture as it provides a competitive edge because of its improved quality and reduced cost.

Several efforts to solve various problems that exist in the rubber value chain were also addressed at the press conference. At the press conference, it was revealed that a nationwide celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the National Institute for Rubber Training (previously the Rubber Training Institute) would be organised, with participation from all relevant parties. M Vasanthagesan IRS (Executive Director, Rubber Board), Dr T Siju (Rubber Production Commissioner), Dr M D Jessy (Director-in-Charge, Rubber Research Institute of India) and representatives of the Federation of Latex Processors were in attendance.

Kraton Corporation, a leading global sustainable producer of speciality polymers and high-value bio-based products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, has expanded its CirKular+ product line with the launch of CirKular+ Paving Circularity Series C5000 in line with its long-term vision to create innovative solutions for a sustainable tomorrow.

The CirKular+ Paving Circularity Series addresses the changing demands of the paving industry to use more reclaimed asphalt and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It allows for the addition of up to 50 percent or more reclaimed asphalt to the asphalt mix in surface layers while enhancing performance and processability. It increases the modified asphalt's resilience while maintaining resistance to permanent deformation and lowering the pavement's lifetime carbon footprint.  C5000 satisfies requirements for asphalt surface materials and is compatible with Warm Mix Asphalt technology.

Pedro Lopes, Kraton Global VP of Strategic Marketing, Product Management and Supply Chain, said, “Launching the Paving Circularity Series is a testament to our commitment to sustainability and innovation. In Europe, the paving industry is actively working to increase circularity and reduce GHG emissions in alignment with the European Green Deal and the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goals. The new series helps unlock value-added circularity by enabling polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) producers and contractors to increase the reuse of reclaimed asphalt, thereby reintegrating it back into the road surface layer.”

Perth-based CTS Tyre Recycling is forging ahead with its plans to reshape the options for disposal of end-of-life tyres in Western Australia.

The company, a part of the wider Cometti Group, a family-owned business with more than 40 years of experience in the tyre industry, has invested more than USD 40 million in a state-of-the-art recycling plant at Neerabup, north of Perth, that processes waste tyres into crumb rubber, tyre derived products, reusable high tensile steel wire and reusable textile. The company also made some additions to its management ranks and expanded its links with industry associations as it moves forward with its strategy. These tyres, along with all other sizes, will be remanufactured in the new Neerabup factory into new, high-value goods like load-restraining matting, gym matting, equestrian and farm matting and acoustic underlay.

Leigh Cometti, the company’s Managing Director, identified a potential to diversify into the recycling of end-of-life tyres, concentrating on some of the huge off-the-road tyres utilised in the mining services and agricultural industries. Over 90 percent of the bigger OTR tyres now in use in Western Australia are thought to end up in landfills. Tyres are commonly buried in pits left behind during excavation, which results in the greatest landfill disposals in the Pilbara area. The recycling programmes will lessen the need for more virgin products in addition to decreasing landfill discharge.

Cometti has brought on two seasoned senior level managers to support him as the company grows. Joseph Jeevaraj has joined as Chief Financial Officer, while Darren Rodwell has been named Chief Operating Officer. Both positions work for the Cometti Group, which also owns the Bunbury Trucks Sales and Service dealership, CTS People and Mechanics Recruitment.