Yokohama has announced that it will be an official partner institution on the international Utilization Technology of Rubber Seeds for Green Products to Mitigate Global Warming and Plastic Pollution research project.
The research aims to address environmental problems using natural rubber seeds. This project has been selected for the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) program, which is jointly operated by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), with support from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
This international project is being conducted jointly by industry, government and academia in Japan and Thailand – the world’s largest producer of natural rubber. Associate professor Shinji Kanehashi of the Graduate School of Engineering at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology is leading the project.
Most of the natural rubber used by industry, including as a raw material for tires, is made from the sap of the para rubber tree. Most rubber tree seeds, except those used for reseeding, are discarded. This research project aims to solve this environmental problem along with global warming and the hardships and economic disparity suffered by agricultural workers.
Yokohama Rubber has already participated in local surveys of natural rubber plantations through Y.T. Rubber Co. Ltd. (YTRC), its natural rubber processing subsidiary in Thailand.
With this project, Yokohama hopes to strengthen its efforts to establish a sustainable collection system for para rubber seeds and improve the lives of rubber tree farmers by creating new revenue sources in the natural rubber industry.
