Hiratsuka, Japan—The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. announced today that, together with the Surat Thani branch of the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT)*, it held a seminar event in June 2025 to help Thai natural rubber farmers improve the quality and productivity of their natural rubber. Fifty farm households in the Surat Thani area participated in the event, which has now been held nine times since the first one in 2020. Yokohama Rubber later provided fertilizer developed using RAOT’s expertise to the participants free of charge.
*A state enterprise under the jurisdiction of Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC)

During the seminar, lectures were held on the selection and planting of natural rubber seedlings, the aims and effects of applying fertilizer, and the importance of preventing foreign substances from entering natural rubber. The event was well received again this year, with many participants expressing appreciation for the practical and easy-to-understand content of the lectures. In addition, the farmers who attended agreed to select sample trees for studying changes in the physical properties of natural rubber related to the use or non-use of the fertilizer provided and the impact of seasonal changes and to support the implementation of a year-round follow-up survey.

In January 2020, Yokohama Rubber signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the RAOT to cooperate in efforts to provide economic support for Thai natural rubber farmers and to improve traceability to ensure transparency and soundness of the natural rubber supply chain. The MOU and events held under it are concrete actions based on Yokohama Rubber’s “Procurement Policy for Sustainable Natural Rubber.” This seminar event was held in the Surat Thani area, home to Yokohama Rubber’s Thai natural rubber processing company Y.T. Rubber Co., Ltd. (YTRC), as part of support for farmers under the MOU.

A founding member of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), Yokohama Rubber revised its “Procurement Policy for Sustainable Natural Rubber" in September 2021 and is strengthening its collaboration with GPSNR activities. The recent seminar event in Thailand reflects the principle of “Support for suppliers, including small-scale farmers, and other parties involved in the supply chain” set forth in the Procurement Policy. Yokohama Rubber will continue to implement and announce initiatives in line with the action guidelines stipulated in this policy. Yokohama Rubber also is endeavoring to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations. As part of these efforts, the Yokohama Rubber Group is promoting the procurement of sustainable raw materials, including natural rubber.

Under the sustainability slogan “Caring for the Future”, Yokohama Rubber is creating shared value by addressing social issues through its business activities.