Sumitomo Rubber Signs Thai Natural Rubber Tapping Research Agreement

Sumitomo Rubber Industries (DUNLOP) signed a joint research agreement in Bangkok on August 7, 2026, under the Hevea Research Platform in Partnership. The partners are the Rubber Authority of Thailand, CIRAD, Khon Kaen University and Kasetsart University. The project will study how low-frequency tapping systems affect natural rubber quality and internal structure, and examine farmer adoption challenges and enablers. The work aims to address labor shortages and accelerate sustainable natural rubber procurement.

Key facts

Market context

Natural rubber, tapped as latex from Hevea brasiliensis trees, is a core raw material for tires, where it gives compounds elasticity, tear resistance and heat buildup control that synthetic rubbers alone do not match. Tire manufacturing, especially for passenger and truck radial tires, is the dominant end market, so demand for natural rubber tracks vehicle production and replacement cycles. Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam supply most of the world's natural rubber, and tapping labor is a long-standing constraint because the work is manual, skilled and done at dawn. Methods that reduce tapping frequency can lower labor needs and potentially affect yield, bark consumption and latex quality, which in turn influence raw material grades, farm costs and buyer confidence in supply. For tire makers, sourcing programs increasingly weigh traceability and sustainability alongside price, so research that improves productivity without sacrificing quality can shape procurement standards over time.

Source: official release on srigroup.co.jp. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.