THE FAIR RUBBER STANDARD
The Fair Rubber Standard is a cultivation standard for natural rubber. It sets out the requirements that plantations and groups of smallholders must meet in order to work with the Fair Rubber Association and receive the Fair Rubber Premium for their rubber. The standard is regularly revised. The current version (dated December 2024) comprises 82 individual criteria.
Four thematic areas
The 82 criteria can be categorised into four main thematic areas:
Legality & corporate governance
Secured land-use rights, compliance with applicable national law, the involvement of surrounding village communities and, in the case of smallholder groups, an internal control system that continuously monitors individual members’ compliance with all other criteria.
Working conditions
Freedom of association for employees, a ban on discrimination, no forced or child labour, wages at least at the industry standard, and comprehensive health and safety requirements, in accordance with
the ILO’s core labour standards.
Environmental aspects
Gentle harvesting techniques, careful handling of chemicals and waste, and the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity – since 31 December 2020, no natural woodland may be converted into agricultural land.
Management of the Fair Rubber Premium
The decision on how the premium is to be used is taken by those who grow or tap rubber. On plantations, they are organised within the Joint Body, which consists of workers’ delegates and members of management. In the case of smallholder groups, the executive
committee makes the decision on behalf of the general assembly of members.
How is the standard implemented?
Implementing the standard depends above all on stable organisations: it requires functioning, well-organised groups of smallholder farmers or, in the case of plantations, a joint body comprising elected worker representatives and management personnel who work together in a spirit of trust and develop effective premium schemes. Fair Rubber supports the groups as they get established through experienced organisational developers on the ground. They are familiar with the Fair Rubber Standard and know how to develop transparent processes and decision-making structures, as well as how to foster a sense of community. The consultants accompany the groups and support smallholder farmers, for example, in establishing the internal control system required by the standard (see Criterion 1.5). Or they help the Joint Body to develop premium projects that the workers genuinely need by helping to organise a needs assessment amongst the workforce. Such support is essential to ensure that a standard is not merely on paper, but is actually implemented effectively.
How is the standard audited?
An independent, external audit body carries out on-site audits to check whether a plantation or a group of smallholders meets the standard – at intervals of one to three years (depending on the risk assessment). Certain particularly important criteria are classified as ‘critical’: if they are not met, this is automatically considered a serious non-conformity, which may lead to the suspension of certification. The exact procedure for audit visits is described in the certification documents. In developing the criteria, Fair Rubber has drawn on other certification
schemes, such as Fairtrade or the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). If a supplier partner already holds valid Fairtrade, FSC or organic certification, only a smaller, supplementary set of criteria needs to be assessed separately during the Fair Rubber audit. This keeps the audit burden on plantations and groups of smallholders manageable without lowering the standards.
From certification to premium
Plantations and groups of smallholders receive Fair Rubber certification if they meet the criteria of the Fair Rubber Standard. The Standard also sets out how the Fair Rubber Premium is to be managed and what requirements groups of smallholders and plantation joint bodies must fulfil in order to receive the premium.
Further details on the premium and its use can be found on the ‘The Fair Rubber Premium’ page.
