Schwalbe tyres aims to expand Fair Rubber in its products 

German tyre brand Schwalbe has announced a commitment increase the share of Fair Rubber in its products. 

Fair Rubber is a German-based association that aims to improve the working and living conditions of rubber producers in rubber-producing nations including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India. 

 Schwalbe has expanded the Fair Rubber in its tyres, with all gravel tyres from the G-One series, the three Pro One road bike models, and mountain bike tyres, all equipped with Fair Rubber. 

Previously, the cargo tire Pick-Up and the e-bike specialist Marathon E-Plus were the first bicycle tires to be produced with it, as well as the Marathon Plus Wheelchair, the first wheelchair tire. 

Felix Jahn, head of corporate social responsibility (CSR) at Schwalbe, said: “We set the goal of expanding our Fair Rubber capacities in the CSR Report 2021. It is great that we have now actually reached this milestone and increased the number of members in Fair Rubber e.V. from 277 in 2020 to 2,320 in 2022. In this way, more and more smallholders are benefiting from fair trade.“  

“In addition, this gives us significantly larger quantities of fair trade natural rubber, which we use in the production of numerous other tire models. But the end is not yet reached. We are currently working intensively with Fair Rubber e.V. to steadily increase capacity.“  

Schwalbe has been working with Fair Rubber for three years, making a commitment to pay €0.50 per kilo directly to those at the start of the supply chain. 

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Stefan Hörmann, managing director of Fair Rubber, said: “Schwalbe is demonstrating responsibility in practice by leading the way when it comes to fair-trade natural rubber. Together with Fair Rubber e.V., Schwalbe began in 2020 to directly support the people who work on the rubber tree to ensure that a bicycle tire is available in stores at the end of the supply chain. I‘m thrilled with what we‘ve accomplished together to date.” 

Schwalbe is believed to be the only tire manufacturer that uses fair-trade rubber in its products and helps people directly with a financial premium.