Domestic rubber production – Stretching over the value chain

Natural rubber is a strategic raw material essential to the manufacture of 50,000 different rubber and latex products. Until recently, natural rubber has been produced solely from a genetically narrow, single species, the rubber tree, grown in tropical regions. Developed countries import all the natural rubber they require—approximately 1.2 megatons a year by the United States. Dr. Cornish’s disruptive technologies encompass the value chain that underlies sustainable and resilient domestic production of alternate natural rubber, from crop domestication through agronomy and processing, to product manufacturing and validation. Highlights of these developments will be discussed in the context of high-value market opportunities and 100 percent crop consumption.