KRAIBURG Austria supports smallholder farmers in Indonesia
Contact Person
Paul Schüller
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Geretsberg, July 2024 – KRAIBURG Austria is now purchasing natural rubber from small farmers in Indonesia almost directly. To this end, the retreading specialist from Upper Austria signed a contract with its long- standing partner Weber & Schaer at the German Rubber Conference DKT in Nuremberg at the beginning of July. The Hamburg-based trading company is supporting the project in order to offer small farmers in the Gunung Mas region (Central Kalimantan) long-term prospects and an economic incentive, as well as to continuously increase both the quantity and quality of rubber.
On site, Weber & Schaer is working with Fairventures Social Forestry (FSF), the project initiator. The social enterprise offers targeted investment opportunities in forest-based climate solutions and supports small farmers locally in marketing their products. The aim is to increase the income of the local population by establishing a sustainable supply chain for natural rubber, protect the remaining intact forest areas and improve biodiversity and the carbon balance. The natural rubber is sold directly to FSF by the small farmers – without the involvement of the usual intermediaries. FSF, in turn, delivers to the producer, who processes the raw material into technically specified rubber. From there, the route leads to Weber & Schaer, which supplies the raw material to KRAIBURG Austria. FSF wants to win over even more small farmers to participate in this program in the future. At the same time, FSF plans to expand the interplanting of various agricultural crops in order to build climate-resilient agroforestry systems on the land.
100 tonnes of sustainable, EUDR-compliant natural rubber per month
KRAIBURG Austria, the family-owned company belonging to the KRAIBURG Group, has always been committed to fair treatment of suppliers, partners and employees as well as credible environmental awareness.
"We are very pleased to be the first private company to be a partner in this sustainable and social project," emphasizes Stefan Mayrhofer, Managing Director of KRAIBURG Austria. "The contract, which meets the requirements of the 'EUDR', provides for a monthly supply of 100 tonnes of natural rubber. The subsidy for the project is provided by the price of rubber. However, nothing will change in terms of prices for our customers."
The Upper Austrians have had a business relationship with Weber & Schaer, the traditional company in northern Germany, for more than six decades. Founded in 1844, the company specialises in the supply of high-quality raw materials for the rubber, plastics and adhesives industries and is the leading importer of natural rubber and latex in Europe.
"We have always attached great importance to quality and sustainability," emphasizes Managing Director René Marc Weber. "KRAIBURG Austria is absolutely on an equal footing in these issues. With our agreement, we are both contributing to reducing the carbon footprint and promoting the well-being of local people."
New life for tires – the sustainable, new cooperation revives KRAIBURG Austria's claim.