Certification for Rubber Growers

The natural rubber value chain starts with you, the grower and growers, on the millions of plantations that produce most of the natural rubber used in the world today. PEFC offers Sustainable Forest Management certification for all growers, regardless of their size. Through PEFC certification, you will be able to enhance the productivity of your plantations, protect nearby forests, and receive an independent and internationally valuable recognition of your responsible management practices.

Choose PEFC

PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification system, with around 320 million hectares certified in 47 different countries. In fact, 75% of all global certified forest areas are PEFC certified. 20,000 different companies in 83 countries trust PEFC to demonstrate their commitment to sourcing sustainable products. And with PEFC’s support, one million small scale forest owners have been able to achieve certification.

PEFC is also the world leader in certification for rubber growers, like you. We have member organizations and extensive relationships with government and business in the countries where the world’s natural rubber is produced. Right now, PEFC is working to enable the certification of rubber plantations as small as a single hectare, and as large as a hundred. 

Whatever your size, or your needs, if you are a rubber grower you can trust PEFC to help you achieve certification.

Protect your Investment

A rubber plantation represents a big investment of time, and money. Rubber trees take 5 to 8 years to mature, and once they do they have up to 35 years of productive life ahead of them. Even once their productive life is over, they provide value to plantation owners in the form of rubberwood, a highly sought-after tropical timber. Tending to these trees is often the work of generations, providing lasting value for family and large-scale owners alike.

The steps that you take to achieve certification will protect and grow this investment, and can lead to increased productivity for your plantation. Through certification, you will be taking steps not to limit what you produce, but to make sure that you can do so sustainably, over the long term.

Prove your Sustainability

As consumers become more concerned with their environmental footprint, the market for certified rubber is growing. This is particularly true in the parts of the world that produce most of our natural rubber, where governments and businesses are updating their procurement policies to require sustainable sourcing. 

By achieving certification, you will be able to sell your rubber and rubberwood as PEFC-certified, meeting these requirements and proving your sustainability to buyers that value it.

Size does not Matter

No plantation is too small to get certified. If you are a smallholder, you can work together to achieve certification as a group. While the costs of group certification are shared, the benefits to you remain the same. Find out more about group certification.