Rubbery Figures

According to the International Rubber Study Group, the European Union is currently the third largest regional consumer of natural and synthetic rubber. In 2007, Europe’s consumption of natural rubber reached 1.373 million tonnes, 14 per cent of global natural rubber consumption. The Singapore based organisation notes that European consumption increased 1.7 per cent since 2005, a much smaller increase that the 10.9 per cent growth in global consumption. For synthetic rubber, the IRSG reports the EU consumption in 2007 to be 2.616 million tonnes, a 20 per cent share of global consumption.

From the approximately four million tonnes of natural and synthetic rubber transformed by EU25 countries in 2007, France and Germany accounted for approximately 39 per cent of consumption, with the two countries together taking 503,000 tonnes of natural rubber and 1.03 million tonnes of synthetic rubber. The UK was the fifth largest consumer of natural rubber and sixth largest synthetic rubber consumer, taking 91,000 tonnes and 168,000 tonnes of the two respective products.

Statistics quoted by the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association indicate that, globally, tyre production accounts for 71 per cent of the natural rubber used each year. This demand for natural rubber is expected to double by 2035 (compared with 2005), while that for synthetic rubber is tipped to increase by 80 per cent during the same period.

In terms of production, Thailand and Indonesia clearly remain the two largest sources of natural rubber; according to IRSG figures, Thailand’s output in 2006 amounted to 3.06 million tonnes, while Indonesia was a close second with 2.80 million tonnes. Malaysia’s 1.20 million tonne natural rubber production placed the country as the third largest producer. India and China were also both identified by the IRSG as major producers, delivering in 2007 some 806,000 and 600,000 respectively. The ETRMA comments that natural rubber farming remains a highly labour intensive activity, and the substance is mainly produced by small farmers in the developing countries of Asia, and Latin America. In most cases, individual plantations are less than four hectares in area.