Xingda has become the first Chinese steel cord and bead wire maker to release a sustainability report.

The sustainability report 2021 details the goals, plans, actions and latest progress of its key sustainability initiatives, such as green products, circular economy and low-carbon operation, with key information.

With "Sustainable and High-quality Development" as the core and responsible operation as the foundation, Xingda will deliver high-quality, innovative and green products and solutions, promote green transformation of the industry, and contribute to the social development and community prosperity. 

Four major areas of sustainable development:

 Green products and solutions 

 Sustainable supply chain 

 Shared social values 

 Robust operation model 

Seven substantive topics and progress of sustainable development：

1. Green products

 By 2025, increase the proportion of green products in total sales to 30% 

Progress in 2021: ST/UT tyre cord products accounted for 28% of total sales. The ST/UT tyre cords can reduce tyre weight, lower rolling resistance, and prolong tyre service life.

2. Tackling climate change

 By 2025, reduce carbon emission per unit of product by 18% in comparison to 2020

 By 2025, reduce energy consumption per unit of product by 14% in comparison to 2020

 By 2025, achieve a 30% green energy ratio

Progress in 2021:

a) Carbon emission per unit of product of Jiangsu base was 1.42 tons of CO2e, down 3.73% year- on-year 

b) Energy consumption per unit of product was 1.43 MWH/ton , down 1.38% year on year Meanwhile, energy consumption per unit of product of the Jiangsu base in 2021 dropped by 2.69% from 2020 

c) Approved the CAPEX of 7.6MW rooftop solar power station, with an expected annual electricity generation up to 8 million kWh 

3. Circular economy

 By 2030, raise the proportion of recycled steel to 40% 

Progress in 2021: The purchased steel wire rod contained 18.50% recycled steel 

4. Responsible procurement

 By 2025, include 100% of Xingda’s suppliers in sustainability assessment

Progress in 2021: 11.48% of suppliers finished environmental and social evaluation, while the evaluation ratio of major raw material and auxiliary product suppliers was 90.9% 

5. Community and human capital development

 By 2025, provide on average 40 hours of vocational training for each employee per year 

Progress in 2021: Employees received 34 hours of training on average 

6. Compliance and business ethics

 By 2025, provide business ethics trainings for 100% of our employees and suppliers 

Progress in 2021: 857 employees (11% in total) received anti-corruption training

7. Sustainability governance

 Continuously improve information transparency and capital market performance

Progress in 2021:

a) Xingda established Sustainable and High-Quality Development Strategy Committee and the Xingda International Green Vanguard Team 

b) Released Xingda's first sustainability report 

c) Achieved score B for CDP Climate Change Questionnaire rating and won Bronze Medal for Ecovadis rating 

Along with the report, Xingda also shared the current status of its pioneering ‘from tyre, back to tyre’ project, in which steel cord and bead wire shall be recycled from used tyres to make wire rod and then new steel cord and bead wire, so as to achieve a true circular economy. At present, Xingda is working closely with tyre recyclers, steel makers and tyre makers to assess the technical feasibility of such cycle, and look to conclude the assessment in the coming months before moving to the mass trial phase. Once completed, it will mark one of the greatest breakthroughs the industry has seen in recent years and offer a remarkable boost to the quest for circular economy by tyre makers around the globe.  

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The Government of Kerala has approved the twelfth phase of the Rubber Production Incentive Scheme, extending support to natural rubber growers through a guaranteed price mechanism.

The scheme is designed to ensure a price of INR 250 per kilogram for RSS 4 grade sheet rubber. Growers who are not yet enrolled may register for the programme until 23 October 2026, according to an official statement issued on 6 August in Kottayam.

Applicants seeking new registration must submit an Aadhaar card, bank passbook copy, current year land tax receipt and a photograph to their respective Rubber Producers’ Societies. Existing participants are required to renew their registration by providing land tax receipts for the 2026–27 period.

The release added that sale invoices or purchase bills submitted under the scheme must originate from licensed dealers who comply with statutory return requirements. Further details are available through the nearest Rubber Board office.

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The Rubber Board of India has launched a series of educational videos as part of the iSPEED (INROAD Skilling and Production Efficiency Enhancement Drive) programme, an INR 1.50-billion initiative aimed at enhancing skill development, quality improvement and infrastructure building within the natural rubber sector. This launch comes as the plantation activities under the larger Project INROAD (Indian Natural Rubber Operations for Assisted Development) in Northeast India approach completion, shifting focus towards productivity and quality enhancement through modern training and facilities.

The newly released video series targets nearly 300,000 rubber growers in the region, covering five essential processing areas: Rubber Tapping, Rain Guarding, Grading, Rubber Sheet Making and Scientific Smokehouses. To ensure broad accessibility, the modules have been produced in Assamese, Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam, enabling effective communication with diverse stakeholders across the natural rubber ecosystem.

The official release of the videos was conducted by Executive Director M Vasanthagesan, alongside Rubber Production Commissioner Dr Siju T Nair, other senior Board officials and representatives from the Indian tyre industry. Developed over the past year with technical assistance from the Rubber Board and the Rubber Research Institute of India, the educational content combines animation with real-life field demonstrations to simplify complex scientific practices for easy adoption.

Project INROAD represents a unique collaboration between the Indian tyre industry and the Rubber Board, with support from Apollo Tyres, CEAT, JK Tyre and MRF. Over the last five years, this partnership has facilitated new rubber plantations across approximately 180,000 hectares in 113 districts of Northeast India, establishing it as the country’s largest plantation development programme of its kind.

Mohan Kurian, Chairman, INROAD Project, said, "Skill development and adoption of scientific practices are essential for improving both productivity and quality in the natural rubber sector. These multilingual videos will serve as an effective training resource for growers and complement the Rubber Board's ongoing extension efforts across the country.”

Sanjiv Saxena, Convener, ATMA Supply Chain & Resources (SCR) Group, said, "The objective of the participating member companies under INROAD is to ensure that rubber growers benefit the most from a stronger natural rubber value chain. By improving productivity and quality, we aim to help farmers realise better returns while strengthening the sustainability of the entire ecosystem."

Muraligopal, who played a key role in coordinating the development of the videos, said, "These videos are the result of close collaboration with the Rubber Board, RRII and field teams across the Northeast. Their guidance and support helped us develop practical, farmer-friendly training modules based on scientific best practices."

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Zeon Corporation has finalised the construction of a new bench-scale facility at its Tokuyama Plant in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, dedicated to advancing the efficient production of butadiene from sustainable ethanol sources. The project, which broke ground in July 2025, represents a strategic move to establish a naphtha-independent raw material supply chain, thereby bolstering both corporate sustainability and the broader transition towards a carbon-neutral society. The facility is slated to commence full-scale operations in January 2027, with the ultimate goal of achieving commercial viability by 2034.

A commemorative ceremony took place at the plant site on 31 July 2026, drawing a total of 46 attendees. The gathering included official representatives from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and local governmental bodies from Yamaguchi Prefecture and Shunan City. Also present were delegates from the Yokohama Rubber Company, the construction contractor and various affiliated firms, alongside Zeon’s leadership, including Akira Honma, the Corporate Officer and Tokuyama Plant Manager.

This initiative forms one half of a dual-themed research and development programme undertaken in partnership with Yokohama Rubber, under the auspices of NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund. The collaborative effort is focused on the social implementation of technologies for synthesising both butadiene and isoprene from renewable biological materials by the 2030s. As part of this process, Zeon is set to produce a prototype polybutadiene rubber using the output from the new bench-scale facility, while Yokohama Rubber will subsequently manufacture test tyres from this material and conduct performance evaluations on test tracks.

Both companies have outlined a clear roadmap, intending to finalise the core technology for societal deployment by 2030 through the operation of a larger pilot plant, with full-scale commercialisation targeted for 2034. The bench-scale facility is a critical precursor in this phased approach, providing essential data for the scale-up process.

The broader project encompasses two selected NEDO themes, both subsidised through the Green Innovation Fund. The first involves the highly efficient synthesis of butadiene from ethanol, with technical cooperation from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. The second focuses on biotechnological pathways to directly produce butadiene and isoprene from plant-based materials, involving partnerships with the Institute of Science Tokyo and RIKEN. Both tracks aim to supplement synthetic rubber feedstocks and support closed-loop recycling, aligning with Japan’s 2050 net-zero emissions goal by fostering long-term industrial innovation.

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The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) has released its Monthly Natural Rubber Statistical Report for June 2026, a month defined by price resilience amid conflicting market forces. The provisional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz triggered a sharp 20.29 percent drop in Brent crude oil prices to USD 85.40 per barrel. However, this bearish signal was counterbalanced by persistent supply constraints from El Niño-related weather disruptions across major producing regions.

Physical rubber prices posted broad-based gains across most grades. SMR-20 rose 1.39 percent to USD 2.32 per kilogramme, while STR-20 gained 2.61 percent to USD 2.55 per kilogramme. RSS-3 and RSS-4 advanced 4.98 percent and 5.88 percent to USD 3.09 and USD 2.84 per kilogramme, respectively, though latex eased 1.44 percent to USD 1.94 per kilogramme. On the trade front, China's imports surged 7.14 percent month-on-month, while India and Viet Nam declined. Export growth was recorded for Cambodia, Viet Nam and Indonesia, though Thai shipments contracted.

Global production for 2026 is projected at 15.310 million tonnes, up 2.3 percent from 2025, driven by gains in Thailand, China, India and Malaysia. However, June output fell 3.7 percent year-on-year to 1.207 million tonnes due to seasonal wintering and El Niño-related weather disruptions. Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia have introduced new incentive and governance measures to strengthen their sectors. Global consumption is forecast to grow 0.7 percent to 15.411 million tonnes in 2026, with June consumption rising 3.3 percent to 1.300 million tonnes, led by China and India amid steady tyre and EV-related demand.

Currency markets saw the Malaysian ringgit trade between RM3.96 and RM4.08 against the US dollar, while the Thai baht ranged from 32.56 to 33.24. In futures trading, the SHFE September 2026 contract averaged 17,580.68 CNY per tonne, down 0.45 percent month-on-month, while the SGX September contract averaged USD 2.24 per kilogramme, up 1.75 percent, with both reflecting tightening supply and firm downstream demand.

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