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Increasing global rubber demand is adding to pressure on natural forests and driving biodiversity loss, with Southeast Asia, responsible for 90% of global production, bearing the brunt, an international team of researchers warned.

The researchers, in a paper published by Nature, said that previous data suggested rubber was a relatively minor problem when it comes to deforestation, compared with commodities like soy and palm oil.

But high-resolution satellite data, which helped identify more plantations run by smallholders, suggested that forest losses “greatly exceed” previous estimates.

The second day at the International Elastomer Conference begins at 9AM in Cleveland, OH. Starting with the The Business of Rubber – 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.; Ballroom C; Neil Mendes, CEO of Alpine Polytech, will be the featured speaker discussing pace of transition today through 2050, impact on existing non-metallics and what opportunities/hurdles exist for new products.

The Rubber Division, ACS would like to remind you that numerous special events at IEC provide the opportunity to make new connections, learn, celebrate individuals in our industry and have some fun. Some of these will sell out, so register today so you don’t miss out.

WACKER held a grand ceremony in Shanghai to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its subsidiary in China. The ceremony was attended by customers, authority representatives and long-standing business partners. WACKER started building its presence in China by opening its first offices in 1993. Today, the Group operates an extensive network of production sites, R&D and service centers. In 2022, WACKER generated around €2.5 billion in China, which corresponds to approximately 30 percent of Group sales.

Both Thermoplastic Elastomers and Silicone Elastomers World Summit bring together manufacturers, processors, end-users, designers and researchers for a summit-style technical discussion of silicone and TPE elastomer materials, global markets, processing advancements and novel applications. Taking place on 28-29th November 2023 in Amsterdam, these co-located events will provide exclusive insights on the market.

Borealis and TotalEnergies celebrate the start-up of their Baystar joint venture’s new 625,000 metric ton-per-year Borstar® polyethylene (PE) unit, which more than doubles the current production capacity at Baystar’s site in Pasadena, Texas.

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations announced its passenger and light truck tire plant in Aiken County, South Carolina recently celebrated 25 years of operations. The Aiken Passenger Tire Plant began producing passenger and light truck tires for original equipment manufacturers and retail in 1998 and continues to play a vital role in the local community today by employing more than 1,700 people. The Aiken Passenger Plant is among the company’s global plants adding the capability to produce the ENLITEN technology stack, which is optimized for rolling resistance and wear.

Sumitomo Rubber North America will increase prices in the US and Canada on select Falken Passenger and Light Truck Products up to 6%. The price change will be effective November 1, 2023.

The trade deficit contracted 9.9% to $58.3 billion, the lowest level since September 2020, the Commerce Department said on Thursday. Data for July was revised to show the trade gap rising to $64.7 billion instead of $65.0 billion as previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade deficit shrinking to $62.3 billion in August.