Rubber certainly has its role to play in forest landscapes across the world, with natural rubber plantations having risen as a substantial basis of deforestation. One element that addresses deforestation concerns is the correct certification of rubber – be it natural or synthetic. International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC), a globally leading certification system, works with the objective of providing sustainability solutions for fully traceable and deforestation-free supply chains, inter alia involving the rubber industry. ISCC was one of the presenters at the Tire Technology Expo 2022 at Hannover, Germany, and Dr Jan M Henke, Director, ISCC, threw light on the nitty-gritty of certifications in the rubber industry, their clients in the tyre and rubber industry and more, in an interaction with Tyre Trends.

Can you tell us about your global sustainability scheme?
Our global sustainability and carbon certification scheme has certified companies in more than 100 countries. We certify entire supply chains from farms to plantations and forestry, and also the point of origin of waste and residues, biogenic and fossil waste. This is also covering rubber and natural rubber. Moreover, we cover biogenic waste and residues, including fossil waste, like carbon black, which is, again, used in the rubber industry. We also certify pyrolysis, where recycled mixed plastic waste can help produce synthetic rubber out of the pyrolysis oil. And we certify the entire supply chain, sustainability of raw material.

What is Meo’s role?
Meo initiated ISCC in a multi-stakeholder process a long time ago. It once was a Meo project and went on to become an operations and certification scheme. It was even recognised by the European Commission and some other authorities. It later got segregated from Meo, and ISCC is governed by the ISCC Association with more than 200 members.

So, what role does Meo play in this in case of certification?
Certification is always by independent, third-party certification bodies. ISCC is the standard development. Today’s ISCC was once a project of Meo. It then went on to become independent and operational, and was no longer a project but an individual entity running and further developing and improving the certification scheme.

The operations of the certification system, database, registration, qualification, training programme, integrity programme, the website and all the day-to-day business is done by ISCC. We are currently incorporating 45 certification bodies that are actually doing the on-site audits based on the ISCC standard.

Is ISCC recognised by the European Union?
Yes, it is being used in many sectors, like in bio energy, bio fuel, renewable transport fuels etc. In fact, ISCC is also recognised by the European Commission and by companies based on their sustainability standards and different industry initiatives.

Hence, ISCC is active on a really broad scale, covering different types of raw materials, natural rubber being one of them. We are also covering waste and residues for pyrolysis and their outputs. We then go to all the different end markets, which can be polymers, rubber, tyres, packaging, all types of plastic products, bio energy or any type of renewable fuels, aviation fuels, maritime fuels etc. This is global and is being used in more than 100 countries.

Tyre companies are talking about sustainability, but the larger part of the industry is of small stakeholders, especially in the natural rubber segment, where traceability and accountability are the main issues. How do you see this?
That’s a big challenge, especially in rubber production. At the cultivation level, there are a lot of small holders. There also exist large plantations that are easier to implement and certify. However, it’s definitely a bigger challenge with the small holders; it always depends on how well they are organised, whether there are certain structures, cooperatives or some central units.

Can you tell us about the certification of natural rubber?
The certification of natural rubber is definitely possible. Palm oil is maybe another example where the setup is quite similar sometimes. Also, with respect to the small holders, sometimes the companies are the same. Furthermore, we are very active in the palm oil sector with ISCC. We now also see a demand for natural rubber sustainability certification.

Is there a different process for getting certified in the rubber industry or is it a standard process?
It’s a standard process. It works on plantation. In fact, it works more or less the same as for palm plantations. But you certainly need to make sure that all the small holders reach a certain level, which is difficult. So starting out, bigger plantations may be easier because it’s easier for them to properly prepare for the certification audits. And then, you need to involve more farmers, step by step.

Who decides the standard process to get the certifications?
ISCC develops the standards and the requirements in the multi-stakeholder process. It then comes down to a company saying that it wants to become certified, use ISCC and also make certain claims and communications to its customers and stakeholders. They then reach out to a certification body, that is cooperating with ISCC. Following this, the certification body will do the audit on site – the third-party auditor will also make a decision on the issuance of the certificate.

Can tyre manufacturers get different certifications? For instance, one for natural rubber and another one for synthetic rubber? Or do they get one for all?
If tyre manufacturers source raw material for manufacturing from natural rubber but also synthetic rubber and everything under ISCC, then it’s one audit. Then the auditor would look into aspects of the volume of natural rubber being used that has been certified, although upstream. If one buys from certified suppliers and if the same auditors check, then aspects like the share of the certified synthetic rubber being used, the share of carbon black, etc. are taken into account. And finally, everything can be put together and a certain claim can be made.

Can tyre companies get a separate certificate for natural rubber?
Yes, they can. They can have separate certificates for natural and synthetic rubber both, or even of everything together. As for the final tyre, let’s say, if it’s 20 percent natural rubber and 20 percent synthetic rubber (40 percent of the tyre), then they can make certain sustainability claims on use of sustainable, circular materials etc.

What is the value of a certification?
It’s no deforestation – that’s key when it comes to natural rubber. When you certify, ‘no deforestation’ is the core requirement and deforestation is not allowed under ISCC. It is about additional environmental and social human rights criteria. This fits fine in this part of ISCC’s sustainability standard. And then it’s certainly about traceability in the supply chain, all the way in the end to the final tyre. And if this is established, then you can certainly make claims about the rubber or the final tyre, saying that it has been sustainably produced, based on sustainably sourced raw materials etc.

Plus, if you do this in a smart way, then you can actually cover the natural and synthetic rubber. Natural rubber and synthetic rubber are both very important parts of the final tyre. Both can be covered under ISCC.

Deforestation is a big issue, mainly in Southeast Asian and African countries. How difficult is it to keep an eye on that?
It’s not always easy to handle. Deforestation is not allowed under ISCC; there is a cut-off date of January 2008. If there was deforestation after January 2008, one cannot become certified. However, replanting or a change from palm to rubber is not considered as deforestation.

For example, if you have a palm plantation and if you cut it and plant rubber after 25 years, then that’s not deforestation. That’s just normal replanting.

Also, ISCC is certainly doing assessments, supported by remote sensing. Our core principle is no deforestation, which is very important to ISCC and its stakeholders. ISCC is not just us doing the operations in Cologne; there’s the ISCC Association for the multi-stakeholder dialogue. It has over 200 members from entire supply chains, industries, plantation companies, mineral oil, chemical companies, converters etc. We also have research organisations from different regions involved. In fact, also a number of non-governmental organisations are members of the ISCC Association.

The association meets annually and makes important strategic decisions and elects the ISCC Board. Due to the representation of the research sector and non-governmental organisations, there is quite a good balance of what people want and further development.

Can you tell us about the commercial benefits involved in having a certification?
There is a big value in it. It reduces sustainability risks for companies, helps to establish monitoring, protects the license to operate and has commercial value. For example, the OEMs ask for more sustainable products or lower greenhouse gas emissions. They all have climate neutrality commitments in place and need to start delivering step-by-step now; they need to show what are the activities that they are engaged in and how those improve sustainability in the overall supply chain. Here, ISCC certification can be used.

How do you maintain transparency in certification as a third party?
There is an annual audit. The certificate is valid for one year and then there is a re-certification. The company needs to provide evidence in every re-certification that the rules are being followed. And if they are not, a renewal of the certificates is not possible.

We certainly have quality management and training for companies and the auditors as well, who conduct on-site audits. What’s more, we have our own integrity programmes, where we send out our own auditors. These auditors work for ISCC and double-check the performance of the companies and the work of third-party auditors. Therefore, this integrity programme is key. We have the website where all the certificates are being published and the entire standard is public.

Do you help companies improve their sustainability supply chain?
No, we don’t consult. At ISCC, we are not involved in supporting the companies in order to improve. We have the standard and we conduct the training for companies. The preparation for the audit is not where ISCC is involved; it’s independent from that type of work. And the certification bodies are not allowed to consult in parallel either. ISCC is the independent standard that is used to certify that companies fulfil the sustainability requirements.

What are the other segments that you cover in the tyre industry?
It’s the entire supply chain. Petrochemical industries, tyre manufacturers etc. can all be covered. This also includes everything from plantations to the end product in the tyre industry.

Which is the easiest and the toughest one to certify?
All elements of the supply chain need to be covered.

This can sometimes be a challenge in the beginning, so as to convince your suppliers and also get certified. But, in truth, we have more than 6,000 certificates under ISCC. So there are already a lot of players that have valid certificates, and now this is starting to move into the space of rubber and tyre manufacturers.

Can you tell us about your clients in the rubber and tyre industry?
We have requests from many tyre producers right now. Some producers are certified already. Plus, we have requests for carbon black and first requests for natural rubber. We see the number of requests increasing, and we do have first certificates and first registrations from tyre producers. So we expect this to rise further as the industry needs to show compliance with their sustainability and climate neutrality commitments.

We see the entire tyre industry now targeting sustainability. So how do you find more opportunities and what’s your plan to get more client support?
ISCC started to get really further engaged in the rubber and tyre industry about a year ago; the industry has started understanding the standards, participating in ISCC trainings, joining our stakeholder events etc. Therefore, step by step, they got to know ISCC better and what it could do for them. They have now even started to get involved and do certifications, including reaching out all the way to the cultivation of natural rubber.

Are you going to focus on the Asian market?
Yes. In fact, we already have a few hundred certificates in Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries in the region. These markets are truly important. Our other key markets are North America and Europe, while we are also active in Africa and South America.

We are, eventually, trying to do more and convince people to become certified, show compliance to sustainability requirements, engage in a continuous improvement approach to become more sustainable and then allow manufacturers to really make claims.  

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Tegeta Green Planet and Shine Energy brought an environmental education session to seventh-graders at Tbilisi Public School No. 142, aiming to deepen young people's understanding of sustainable development and environmental protection. The meeting was designed to make abstract ecological concepts tangible for early adolescents.

Led by representatives of the two organisations, the session unfolded under the theme ‘A Sustainable Future: Environment, Transport and Energy’. Presentations and discussions covered waste management, responsible resource use, environmental protection and the value of renewable energy, giving students a broad picture of how these issues interconnect.

The interactive format included team activities through which students explored the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, learning what it is for and how it contributes to environmental protection. Participants also considered how ordinary daily choices can curb pollution and conserve resources. An environmental game and a hands-on activity reinforced the lessons, helping students link environmental concerns to their own lives, and each participant received a certificate and a small gift at the close.

Operating since 2022, Tegeta Green Planet ranks among Georgia's first authorised EPR organisations, advancing a circular economy by collecting and recycling waste tyres, waste oils and used batteries while helping reduce environmental harm and meet legal obligations. Environmental education for young people remains a priority for both organisations, which run school sessions on environmental protection, resource conservation and sustainable development.

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Dunlop Tyre Europe GmbH will hold Premium Partner status at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, running 24 October to 1 November at the Wiener Stadthalle, under a three-year term from 2026 to 2028 with an extension option, and holds exclusive tyre-category rights. DUNLOP Sports separately serves as Official Ball Partner. The event lets Dunlop Tyre Europe spread the ONE DUNLOP message, as trademark rights for DUNLOP tyres across Europe, North America and Oceania now sit once more under Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI). A 25-square-metre stand will occupy the fan zone in the Wiener Stadthalle foyer.

The divisions have already collaborated at B2B events this year, including THE TIRE COLOGNE. At the Mondial de l'Auto in Paris, held 12 to 18 October, the DUNLOP brand joined DUNLOP Sports colleagues to display tyres, motorsport heritage and tennis, padel and squash racquets across 105 square metres. Vienna marks the first time both appear together at a sporting tournament.

Premium Partner status brings strong visibility. Television coverage includes Micro Wings, LED side banners, Close Calls and the ‘New Balls Please’ activation. Dunlop Tyre Europe also features at the ceremonial coin toss, in the tournament magazine, in the fan zone and via ‘Daily Highlights presented by Dunlop’. Hospitality packages at the Wiener Stadthalle and Marx Halle await customers and partners, with invitations to the Pro-Am tournament and official press conference.

At the DUNLOP stand, visitors can guess how many tennis balls sit inside a racing tyre, entering via iPad and a digital landing page, with newsletter sign-up optional. A set of tyres is the prize, and souvenir photos in a DUNLOP-branded frame can be downloaded via QR code. The brand and SRI trace their heritage to 1909, when Dunlop Far East was founded in Kobe. After a partner organisation held passenger car tyre rights in several markets, those rights were reacquired in 2025 and Dunlop Tyre Europe GmbH launched in early 2026, reuniting the brand under SRI. The goal is restoring DUNLOP among the world's leading, most innovative tyre makers.

Dennis Wilstermann, Marketing Manager, Dunlop Tyre Europe, said, “Through our Premium Partnership with the Erste Bank Open and with our colleagues from DUNLOP Sports serving as the tournament’s Official Ball Partner, we are appearing together at a sporting event for the first time, following successful collaborations in the B2B sector and at the Paris motor show. The dynamic environment of professional tennis and the world-class performances regularly seen on court provide the ideal stage for combining activation activities for DUNLOP Tyres and DUNLOP Sports. We work closely with DUNLOP Sports and our parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries in Japan, to unlock the full potential of the global ONE DUNLOP strategy.”

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Indian manufacturer invests in radial tyre capacity and electric vehicle products as it seeks growth in domestic and export markets

JK Tyre and Industries is expanding production capacity and pushing into higher-value tyres as the Indian manufacturer seeks to capitalise on strong vehicle demand, the shift towards premium cars and the growth of electric mobility.

The company plans to invest in additional truck and bus radial and passenger car radial capacity, while broadening its distribution network and developing products for overseas markets. The strategy comes as a sharp increase in raw-material prices threatens to erode the benefits of rising sales.

Nearly 30 percent of JK Tyre’s passenger car tyre volumes in the first half of the financial year came from premium products with wheel sizes of 16 inches and above, Managing Director Anshuman Singhania told analysts on the company’s second-quarter earnings call. The segment has grown at an annual rate of about 20 percent over the past two to three years.

The shift towards larger tyres reflects changing consumer preferences in India’s car market, where manufacturers are increasingly catering to buyers seeking more premium vehicles. JK Tyre is seeking to capture that demand while maintaining its position in commercial vehicle and agricultural tyres.

Electric mobility and premium products

Electric mobility is another area of growth. The company said its electric vehicle tyre volumes rose by more than 24 pe cent quarter on quarter. It also highlighted its position in electric trucks and buses, and said the MG Hector Tomahawk had been launched with its Ranger HPE electric vehicle-specific tyres.

JK Tyre is investing in research and development and using artificial intelligence and machine learning in product design, manufacturing and supply-chain management. The company is also expanding its range of specialist off-the-road tyres, targeting applications where product performance and specifications are important purchasing considerations.

Expanding distribution

The push into premium products is accompanied by an effort to widen the company’s reach among customers. During the second quarter, JK Tyre added more than 250 pit shops and more than 80 dealers and distributors, almost half of the latter in rural markets. It also expanded its fleet accounts.

The replacement market, in which vehicle owners buy tyres independently of new vehicle purchases, accounted for about 60 percent of standalone revenue.

Demand remained strong across several categories. Truck and bus radial tyre volumes supplied to original equipment manufacturers increased 76 percent year on year, while passenger car radial volumes rose 14 percent. Farm tyre demand also grew, although management warned that uneven rainfall in some agricultural regions could weigh on the farming season.

JK Tyre expects demand to remain healthy in the second half of the financial year, supported by infrastructure spending, freight movement and vehicle manufacturers’ year-end purchasing. It expects high-single-digit growth in the truck and bus replacement market and mid-single-digit growth in passenger car tyres over the medium term.

Raw-material inflation

The outlook is less straightforward on costs. Raw-material prices have risen by about 30 percent over the past six months, according to management, amid supply-chain disruption and geopolitical tensions linked to the conflict in West Asia. The company expects a further increase of 4–5 per cent in its raw-material cost basket in the third quarter.

JK Tyre plans to raise selling prices by a similar amount, but acknowledged that passing on higher costs is difficult in the replacement market, where customers are sensitive to price. Price increases under contracts with vehicle manufacturers are partly linked to input-cost indices, but take time to feed through.

The company is relying on higher selling prices, a more favourable product mix and cost efficiencies to protect profitability. Its ability to do so will be tested if commodity inflation persists.

Capacity and export plans

Capacity expansion is central to the growth strategy. JK Tyre said projects worth about INR 13 billion covering truck and bus radial and passenger car radial tyres were under implementation, following the completion of projects worth INR 14 billion. Utilisation at its Indian plants was above 90 percent across key segments, leaving the company looking to add capacity to meet demand.

JK Tyre is also looking overseas for growth. The company is assessing opportunities arising from the India-UK free trade agreement and has developed products specifically for European markets. Management said it was already supplying some European markets, but did not confirm any material increase in UK orders or shipments following the trade agreement.

Exports from India rose 14 percent sequentially in the second quarter.

Mexican subsidiary recovers

Its Mexican subsidiary, JK Tornel, is meanwhile continuing a recovery programme focused on operational efficiency, quality and modernisation. Management expects sales to move towards levels comparable with the previous year in the third and fourth quarters. It also reported triple-digit growth in shipments from Mexico to the US on a quarter-on-quarter basis, against a backdrop of uncertainty over US trade policy and the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

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Kuraray America, Inc. (KAI) returned as a sponsor of the Galveston Bay Foundation’s Bike Around the Island, with 21 cyclists completing a 43-mile ride on 17 October 2026. The event coincided with the 20th anniversary celebration of Bike Around the Bay, reinforcing KAI’s support for the Foundation’s conservation mission.

Although the ride spanned a single day, the cause continues year-round through initiatives such as the River, Lakes, Bays ’N Bayous Trash Bash and oyster reef monitoring at Sweetwater Nature Preserve. These programmes protect the Bay’s waters, restore coastal habitats and preserve regional biodiversity. KAI contributed to that mission by mobilising nine volunteers alongside participating employees, family members and friends, collectively raising more than USD 8,300 for GBF’s conservation efforts.

At the second rest stop, KAI volunteers welcomed cyclists with encouragement and a chance to reconnect before the next stretch. For cycling team captain Diana Maya, the stop became a meaningful moment of teamwork and connection, illustrating how employees and volunteers supported both the event and one another. Special recognition went to Maya and Johnny Alvarado, KAI’s volunteer lead, for coordinating this year’s participation, and the company expressed appreciation to every cyclist, volunteer, employee, family member and friend who contributed time, energy and encouragement.

The 20th anniversary marked two decades of bringing cyclists, volunteers, corporate partners and community members together for Galveston Bay. KAI congratulated the Foundation on the milestone and affirmed its commitment to community engagement and environmental stewardship, supporting efforts that protect natural ecosystems surrounding the communities where employees live and work. From cycling 43 miles to volunteering at rest stops and supporting year-round conservation, KAI’s participation reflected a shared commitment to protecting Galveston Bay for future generations.

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