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Natural rubber
The protection and preservation of natural resources is one of the major components of Michelin's commitment to protecting the environment.
‘’The cultivation of the hevea tree and biodiversity’’

Protecting the hevea tree
Ensuring the sustainability of hevea tree cultivation is a major responsibility for tire manufacturers, who consume close to 70% of the world's production of natural rubber. Latex, the basic material, is obtained from the rubber (hevea) tree. The cultivation of hevea trees, which cover an area of approximately 8 million hectares, provides a living for 30 million people throughout the world. Yet today this valuable resource is threatened by deforestation.

For several decades now, Michelin has been cultivating nearly 21,000 hectares of hevea plantations in Brazil and Nigeria. This is in addition to conducting biological and agricultural research, with the following objectives in mind:

  • improve techniques for the exploitation of the hevea tree in order to lower production costs
  • increase crop returns
  • improve the quality of natural rubber
  • combat diseases in hevea trees

Developing agricultural research
Michelin has been working closely with a wide range of universities, scientific bodies and research organizations to fight more effectively against a South American disease caused by microcyclus uleï, a fungus which attacks the leaves of the Brazilian hevea and which could seriously jeopardize the Asian and African plantations. The fruits of this research have also made it possible to select and reproduce those varieties of hevea which are more resistant to attack by parasites.

Protecting the biodiversity of tropical forests
Michelin is also committed to protecting biodiversity. The Bahia plantation, on the Brazilian coast, contains a part of the Atlantic Forest. This tropical forest, which originally extended along the entire Brazilian coastline, now measures only 10% of its original size; thus making it one of the most threatened tropical forests in the world. The plantation has launched a program to preserve the ecosystem by raising ecological awareness within the regional community. It does this in cooperation with various organizations (CETREL, BioBrasil and Tropical Nature Foundations) by developing awareness and environmental education programs.

Resource conservation and agricultural research In Nigeria, the four Michelin plantations are also committed to protecting the environment. The 500 hectares of tropical rain forest in the Osse River plantation bordering the Okumu National Park (protected since 1999) are today considered to be the last tropical rain forest reserve in the western part of the country. Thanks to this plantation, Michelin was awarded the 2002 prize from the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) for the most environmentally-friendly company in Nigeria.

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