The low world market price for rubber and poor working conditions make it difficult for tappers, plantation workers, and small-scale farmers to support themselves and their families through their own labor. This is where the Fair Rubber Association aims to make a difference: By paying a Fair Trade premium to primary producers, the Association helps ensure that even during times of low market prices, production costs are covered – and ideally, a surplus remains. Because only if rubber cultivation is economically viable for the people at the very beginning of the supply chain can production truly be sustainable in the long run. Companies that join the Fair Rubber Association and invest directly on the ground – for example in infrastructure, processing or social programs – not only improve conditions for producers, but also secure their long-term supply of raw materials and gain a clear competitive advantage.