LETTERS: IT is sad that the glory days of natural rubber (NR) have faded.
First, the major plantation players abandoned NR for oil palm. Then, the frequent bouts of low prices disincentivise small farmers from tapping.
As a result, though I am told the planted area is still maintained at one million hectares, production has drastically dropped to less than 500,000 tonnes.
We are now at No. 8 in world production, even behind the Ivory Coast. The difficulties in recruiting labour also contributed to the decline.
As the world moves towards net zero — reducing emission levels as close to zero as possible to prevent more greenhouse gases (GHG) from entering the atmosphere — I feel a turning point for the better is about to happen for NR.
The world needs rubber to make the myriad products that we cannot be without. The biggest use of rubber is for tyres, where around 70 per cent of NR ends up.
Tyres also use a lot of synthetic rubber (SR), which is used more in passenger car tyres than NR.
However, aircraft tyres that require excellent heat build-up must be made entirely of NR.
At one time, the Soviet Union tried to replace NR with synthetic polyisoprene, but failed miserably. They had no choice but to use NR.
I am optimistic that the net-zero revolution will make NR the material of choice for all rubber products, including tyres.
The reasons are obvious. While NR is 100 per cent natural and renewable, SR is the opposite.
Because SR is derived from fossil fuel, its use contradicts the growing call from all quarters to move away from fossil-based materials.
The truth is, fossil fuels are the real culprits in the climate crisis.
Die-hard climate activists are not supportive of the net-zero approach. This is because they hold strongly to the view that net zero still allows GHG emissions from fossil fuel combustion, only to be counterbalanced by carbon capture and other offsets.
To them, such an approach will not be effective in bringing down global GHG levels. They think it is not sustainable. They are vocal in calling for a total shift away from fossil fuels.
Admittedly, it is not an easy and straightforward task. Net zero is seen as a compromise. Whether a compromise is reached or not, there is no doubt that the global effort to resolve the climate crisis will open up new opportunities for NR.
Prior to that, the NR operators must intensify their research and development to improve the properties of NR in passenger tyre applications. They must also convince the world that NR expansion is not at the expense of the tropical forests.
Only then can NR rise again as a global business, bringing back the glory days for all rubber producers and manufacturers.
The International Rubber Conference, scheduled for Feb 20 in Kuala Lumpur, will shed more light on the vast opportunities for NR in this era of net zero.
PROFESSOR DATUK DR AHMAD IBRAHIM
Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy, UCSI University
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times