Michelin, Continental and Smag create a joint venture to develop smartphone application designed to map sustainability practices across the natural rubber industry

Michelin, a world leader in tires and sustainable mobility: Continental AG, a technology company and  world leader in tire manufacturing: and Smag, a leading software developer for agriculture, have announced the creation of a joint venture specializing in the development and deployment of technological solution for mapping sustainability practices in the supply chain of natural rubber: Rubberway®.

The joint venture is due to begin business before the end of 2019 (subject to validation by the relevant antitrust authorities).

Rubberway® is a technological solution that maps and assesses practices and risks regarding environmental issues, social affairs, and Corporate Social Responsibility governance throughout the natural-rubber industry, from rubber-processing plants downstream to plantations upstream.

In this joint venture, Michelin is bringing the rights of use and exploitation, as well as its user experience of it on the ground.

Continental demonstrates its interest in this solution through its investment in the joint venture and, in doing so, is opening up the path to wider use of the application by other tire-makers and car-parts manufacturers, therefore helping accelerate the rise of responsible practices in the natural-rubber industry.

Smag is sharing all its technological and sector-specific expertise in digital solutions for agriculture.

Through this joint venture, the partners are seeking to make Rubberway® an independent solution that can be easily used by all the other natural rubber players and working towards making the supply chain more transparent.