Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber

What Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber does

Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) is a non-profit, membership-based multi-stakeholder initiative founded in 2017 and headquartered in Singapore's Downtown Core. The platform convenes tire manufacturers, natural rubber producers, processors, traders, smallholders, and civil society organizations under a shared governance structure to advance sustainability and legality across the natural rubber value chain. Its core deliverables are governance and assurance frameworks — including the Shared Responsibility Framework (approved December 2022) and a four-step Assurance System (launched July 2024) — that translate member commitments into operational standards, particularly in the context of regulatory drivers such as the EU Deforestation Regulation.

The business model is membership-funded: GPSNR raises revenue through annual member contributions scaled to members' natural rubber consumption volumes, supplemented by in-kind support from partners. The membership structure comprises general members (predominantly large tire OEMs such as Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, Hankook, Sumitomo Rubber, and Pirelli), associate members, affiliate members, and smallholder members — including 22 smallholders from 6 countries. The platform also conducts capacity-building projects for upstream smallholders, reaching approximately 7,500 by end-2022. Stefano Savi serves as Platform Director. GPSNR is staffed by a lean team of roughly 8 employees.

Name

Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber

Legal name

Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber

Website

https://gpsnr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GPSNR is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder platform founded in 2017 and headquartered in Singapore that convenes tire manufacturers, rubber producers, traders, and smallholders around shared sustainability frameworks for the natural rubber value chain, funded by annual member contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Commodity Standards

akta.pro primary industry

Transport Safety & Infrastructure Standards Cooperation (BPADANAK)

Keywords

• Sustainable natural rubber
• Supply chain sustainability
• Commodity assurance system
• Multi-stakeholder platform
• Smallholder capacity building

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Annual Member Contributions: Companies contribute annually to a shared fund based on their natural rubber consumption. The Shared Investment Mechanism also includes in-kind contributions from member companies.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GPSNR is a membership-based, multi-stakeholder industry platform that brings together companies, smallholders, and civil society to make the natural rubber supply chain sustainable, equitable and fair. Its core offering is a four-step Assurance System (Commitment and Reporting, Implementation and Progress Sharing, Third Party Assessment, and Closing Remedial Gaps) supported by a Policy Framework, Reporting Requirements, a Shared Investment Mechanism, and regional Capacity Building Projects for smallholders.

Product overview

GPSNR is a membership-based sustainability platform for the natural rubber industry, offering a unified suite of tools rather than a traditional software product. The core offering consists of the Four-Step Assurance System, which guides members through Commitment and Reporting, Implementation and Progress Sharing, Third Party Assessment, and Closing Remedial Gaps. This assurance framework is supported by a Policy Framework and Reporting Requirements that define member obligations. The Shared Investment Mechanism enables industry-wide funding for smallholder capacity building, while Capacity Building Projects deliver regional training programs. Additional services include the quarterly Rubber Road Podcast for industry dialogue, a Grievance Procedure for dispute resolution, a Document Repository for public access to governance materials, and the Desired State Document outlining long-term sustainability objectives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Four-Step Assurance System A four-step sustainability assurance system comprising Commitment and Reporting, Implementation and Progress Sharing, Third Party Assessment, and Closing Remedial Gaps, enabling member companies to verify sustainability practices in their natural rubber supply chain operations.
• Policy Framework A comprehensive policy framework defining the sustainability principles and requirements that GPSNR members commit to in their natural rubber supply chain operations.
• Reporting Requirements Structured reporting requirements that GPSNR members must follow to document and disclose their sustainability practices and progress in the natural rubber supply chain.
• Shared Investment Mechanism A funding mechanism where member companies contribute annually based on their natural rubber consumption and make in-kind contributions to support industry-wide capacity building for smallholders.
• Capacity Building Projects Regional capacity building initiatives that coach smallholders on disease fighting, agroforestry, and good agricultural practices, with projects running in Indonesia, Thailand, and Côte d'Ivoire.
• Grievance Procedure A formal process for handling and resolving grievances related to sustainability practices in the natural rubber supply chain, with publicly available grievance status tracking.

Quantifiable outcome

• By end of 2022, five capacity building projects coached almost 7,500 smallholders on disease fighting, agroforestry and good agricultural practices

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• EU stakeholdersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022GPSNR continues to engage with relevant stakeholders within the EU and the industry to support implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation in a way that does not adversely affect smallholders and downstream actors.
• VF CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022VF Corporation joined as GPSNR's first member outside the automobile industry, marking an expansion of the platform's membership base beyond automotive sector companies. This represented a significant diversification milestone for the organization.
• ProforestcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 March 2019Selected as lead consultant along with 'Are We There Yet' to develop the Implementation Guidance for GPSNR's Policy Toolbox Working Group, providing expertise in sustainable commodity sourcing guidance.
• Smallholder members (Brazil, Ghana, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Côte d'Ivoire)coreOthers22 smallholders from six countries joined as members, representing the production side of the supply chain. These smallholders benefit from capacity building programs in disease management, agroforestry, and good agricultural practices.
• Tire makers (member companies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember companies from the tire industry that commit to GPSNR's policy framework and contribute annually to capacity building funds. They participate in assurance system implementation and third-party assessment.
• Civil society memberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil society organizations are founding members of GPSNR, bringing environmental and social expertise to the multi-stakeholder platform. They participate in governance through the Executive Committee and Working Groups.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• World Cocoa Foundation: WCF convenes industry, civil society, and producing-country stakeholders around sustainable cocoa with member contributions funding on-the-ground smallholder programs. The funding flow and multi-stakeholder governance map directly to GPSNR's Shared Investment Mechanism for natural rubber smallholders.
• Fairtrade International: Fairtrade convenes producers, traders, and brands around sustainability and equity standards with a verification system and smallholder-focused programs — overlapping GPSNR's Shared Responsibility Framework and assurance model in natural rubber.
• Bonsucro: Bonsucro runs a multi-stakeholder sustainability platform for sugarcane with a standard, assurance model, and member-based governance — directly comparable to GPSNR's four-step Assurance System and Shared Investment Mechanism for natural rubber.
• Better Cotton Initiative (BCI): BCI is a multi-stakeholder commodity sustainability platform that licenses standards to producers, runs capacity building for smallholders, and engages brands/retailers as members — closely analogous to GPSNR's tire-maker and smallholder membership model for natural rubber.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): FSC operates a multi-stakeholder governance structure that develops standards, runs third-party assessment, and certifies forest-based commodities. Its assurance architecture and balanced chamber model are structurally similar to GPSNR's Executive Committee and four-step assurance approach.
• Global Coffee Platform: Global Coffee Platform is a multi-stakeholder, membership-funded sustainability coalition for a single commodity with collective action programs — analogous to GPSNR's collective Shared Investment Mechanism for natural rubber.
• Rainforest Alliance: Rainforest Alliance certifies agricultural commodities against sustainability standards with member-supported governance and smallholder capacity programs — directly comparable to GPSNR's assurance and capacity building functions across natural rubber origins.
• International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC): ISCC provides third-party sustainability certification for agricultural and bio-based commodities with member-supported governance and traceability systems — directly comparable to GPSNR's third-party assessment and traceability work for natural rubber under the EU Deforestation Regulation.
• Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO): RSPO is the most direct comparable: a multi-stakeholder, membership-based platform that sets sustainability standards, runs an assurance system, and operates shared investment/capacity building for a major commodity supply chain. Its palm oil model closely mirrors GPSNR's natural rubber structure.

Others

• Proforest: Proforest is GPSNR's lead consulting partner for the Policy Toolbox Working Group. As an external advisor to GPSNR and to other commodity sustainability initiatives, Proforest is an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxFKWNp5T6x3yXVI8DNINmQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gpsnr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber