Preamble: Commitments to a sustainable natural rubber sector

• The Michelin Group has been committed for many years to developing a sustainable natural rubber sector, supporting a socially fair and environmentally responsible industry.
• Since 2013, we have collaborated with numerous NGOs, including BirdLife International, Earthworm, FIDH, Global Witness, Greenpeace, Mighty Earth, Preferred by Nature, Rainforest Alliance, and WWF, to advance responsible and transparent practices across the value chain.
• In 2015, Michelin published its Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy, which includes, among other commitments, a zero‑deforestation pledge and a commitment to seek the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of affected local communities.
• In 2018, Michelin played a leading role in the creation of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) in Singapore, which promotes these commitments and provides multi‑stakeholder grievance mechanisms in cases of non‑compliance with its standards.
• Consistent with this policy, the Group has zero tolerance for any form of harassment, discrimination, exploitation, land grabbing or violation of the rights of individuals or local communities.

About your recent article and requests for correction

• We are well aware of Cambodia’s Economic Land Concession (ELC) scheme and the associated environmental and social concerns. As early as 2013, we supported Global Witness’s important work on rubber supply chain in Cambodia and Laos and its links with VRG (see the “Rubber Barons” report: https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-deals/rubber-barons/).
• Michelin has not purchased rubber from Cambodia for several decades and has no plans to do so, precisely because we consider that the appropriate ESG conditions are not met at the country level.
• For your information, we have never purchased rubber from Laos or Myanmar.
• Our purchases from Vietnam are extremely limited; for example, we have not purchased any natural rubber from Vietnam in 2025.
• Moreover, we do not buy any rubber from VRG or any VRG subsidiary, specifically due to the ELC-related concerns. VRG’s disassociation from FSC is also taken into consideration in our risk assessment.