NATURAL RUBBER

What Is Natural Rubber And Where Do I Use It?

Natural rubber (NR) is a natural biotic material which is harvested from rubber trees. It has been classified as a critical raw material for the EU and it consists mainly of isoprene polymers.
Natural rubber is extracted from rubber trees growing in tropical forests in a form of latex, and then processed into different rubber products. Dried natural rubber is often vulcanised to give a better elasticity and durability for the final rubber products.
Natural rubber is used in the production of tyres (75% of EU rubber consumption) and the sector of automotive, tubing, footwear, construction materials and food contact materials.
Europe is completely dependent on imports of natural rubber.

The three largest producers are Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Together, these countries account for 72% of natural rubber production.
Around 25 million tonnes of rubber are produced per year, of which 30% is natural. Synthetic rubber is derived from petrochemical sources.

In March 2020, the price of rubber amounted to $1.50/kg.
Since 2011, it reached a high of $4.82/kg; the price decreased to an annual average of $1.64/kg in 2019.

Recovered biotic waste can’t be recycled back to the same application or with the same products as the original raw material because of contamination risks.
As to the recycling process of used tyres, natural rubber is collected with the other materials present in the tyres and then used in flooring applications.
The recycling input rate of natural rubber is only 1%.
End-of-life tyres in the EU have a high recovery rate, but it is still impossible to recover materials from tyres and put them back in new tyres because of security and environmental performance.
Natural rubber supply can be affected by environmental risk exposure (insects, pests, pathogens…). Increase of outbreaks can be influenced by climate change and global trade of biotic products.