APAC Change Agent Series | Natural Rubber Roundtable 2025

The second edition of FSC Asia-Pacific’s exclusive Natural Rubber Roundtable convened industry leaders and sustainability decision-makers in Ho Chi Minh City for two days of hands-on exchange. The choice of Vietnam as host spotlighted the country’s rising influence in sustainable natural rubber, and important role in multiple associated value chains including footwear, mobility and soft latex products.

Participants representing every link of the supply chain tackled real-world challenges in traceability, regulatory compliance, and smallholder integration, all focused on practical solutions for an industry in rapid transition.

💡Smallholder Barriers and Industry Response

• FSC Country Representatives outlined a regional cross section of persistent challenges for smallholders from high certification costs and complexity.
• Practical solutions like group certification and the associated financial assistance under the Regional Forest Stewardship Standard (RFSS) as a tool to incentivise smallholders participation.
• Delegates also evaluated what FSC and market players are doing for smallholder support ending with a pointed debate on premium payments as a lever for equitable certification.

💡EUDR Compliance Made Inclusive

• The roundtable introduced new tools including the FSC Regulatory Module and streamlined risk assessments to help every actor in the supply chain meet EUDR requirements.
• The rolling out of FSC technologies, including blockchain-based FSC Trace marked a step change in transparency and transaction verification.
• Showcases and insights from FSC EUDR Aligned Early Adopters offered an inside look at practical journeys toward compliance.

💡Focus on Value and Impact

• Leading brands across key sectors using natural rubber demonstrated that valuing ecosystem services and prioritising responsible sourcing in procurement is driving industry standards and expectations far beyond basic compliance.

💡Field Progress on Display

• A field trip took stakeholders from forest sites to an aggregation factory, offering an on the ground view of Vietnam’s proactive approach to meeting new compliance and market benchmarks across the supply chain.