Vaccines

2 October 2022 News

Approximately 7 billion syringes were used to deliver COVID vaccines in 2021, double the routine vaccinations given globally to protect against illnesses like the seasonal flu and Chickenpox. Many of those syringes contain a rubber tipped plunger or stopper which minimizes the leakage of liquids and effectively ‘seals’ the syringe. These syringes have helped to save millions of lives from infectious diseases, and will continue to do so in the future.

Rubber is an essential component of syringes in order to keep us safe and protect us from infection, but did you know the rubber may also protect the livelihoods of small forest owners in Southeast Asia, and the wonderful range of biodiversity that call those forests home?

The rubber from those billions of syringes is produced by smallholders in Southeast Asia. This rubber may be produced unsustainably, with huge consequences for not only smallholders, who have more limited access to global markets demanding sustainability requirements through ESG goals, but also for surrounding forests and animal and plant species that thrive within them. That’s why PEFC works with small-scale forest owners and manufacturers around the world, to gain PEFC certification and ensure that rubber is produced sustainably. That’s how getting the jab saves forests!

Visit rubber.pefc.org to find out more about how sustainable natural rubber is making a difference to the lives of people who harvest rubber and the forests in which they live and work amongst.