Bridgestone teams up with Kirin to improve guayule-derived natural productivity recently.
Bridgestone Aims to Increase Productivity of Guayule Farms
Bridgestone Corporation has developed a new technology for improving guayule-derived natural rubber productivity through a joint development project with Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings).
The project combines the technologies of Kirin Holdings with the guayule cultivation expertise of Bridgestone to deliver large-scale propagation of guayule plants from high-quality seeds. With this innovation, Bridgestone aims to increase the productivity of guayule farms and advance sustainable materials for tyres through the diversification of the world’s natural rubber supply.
Bridgestone will field test the new technology on guayule seedlings grown at its 287-acre Agro Operations Research Farm in Eloy, Arizona. The new technology may also be used to support the guayule breeding process to more rapidly increase a desired genotype for testing and production.
Bridgestone first guayule research and development efforts began in 2013. Through these efforts and others, Bridgestone seeks to develop alternative and viable sources for tyre-grade natural rubber, reducing its long-term environmental impact and simultaneously furthering its business.
The company is taking steps to decouple economic growth from environmental impact, as indicated in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. More than 90 percent of the world’s natural rubber supply is extracted from the Para rubber tree, which primarily grows in Southeast Asia. As part of the company’s ‘Our Way to Serve’ corporate social responsibility commitment, Bridgestone is helping diversify the world’s natural rubber supply.
Utilising the Kirin Holdings‘ world-class bio technology, Bridgestone will develop the technology for propagating massive stable quality guayule for practical use. In addition to the Agro Operations Research Farm in Eloy, Bridgestone operates the Biorubber Process Research Centre in nearby Mesa, Arizona, where a team processes guayule-derived natural rubber for testing in tyre applications.
