Market and product

Natural rubber is one of the most important raw materials in the tire manufacturing industry — especially for truck tires, bus tires, and aircraft tires, where the proportion of natural rubber is significantly higher than in passenger car tires. Therefore, the productivity and stability of natural rubber supply directly affect production costs and the long-term supply capacity of tire manufacturers.

Against this backdrop, on April 7, 2026, a signing ceremony was held at the Universitas Indonesia, marking the launch of a joint research project between tire manufacturer Bridgestone Corporation and three academic institutions: Yokohama City University and Maebashi Institute of Technology in Japan. The project focuses on the genetic analysis of the para rubber tree — the plant species that supplies natural rubber latex for tire production — using plant samples and genomic data from Bridgestone’s natural rubber plantation in Indonesia.

Objective: faster breeding to stabilize rubber supply for the tire industry

The main objective of the project is to develop marker-assisted selection technology, which enables early identification of high-yield and stable rubber trees before they reach full maturity. This would help plantations provide a more stable raw material supply for tire manufacturing supply chains.

Under the division of roles, Bridgestone will provide latex samples from individual rubber trees in its plantation, along with existing genetic data. Universitas Indonesia will generate DNA and RNA data from these samples, while Yokohama City University and Maebashi Institute of Technology will analyze the genetic data to identify genes associated with high rubber yield.

Based on these findings, the research team expects to develop faster and more accurate breeding technologies, significantly shortening the breeding cycle — which under traditional methods can take decades. Once the technology is validated and propagation systems and nurseries are established, Bridgestone plans to gradually replace existing trees in its plantations with improved varieties over the medium to long term. The ultimate goal is to increase rubber yield on existing farmland, allowing the company to secure a more stable natural rubber supply for tire production without expanding plantation areas.

Why the tire industry needs improved rubber tree productivity

Natural rubber is a renewable resource, but rubber trees — the primary source of natural rubber for the tire industry — grow well only in specific equatorial regions and are vulnerable to external factors such as climate change and plant diseases.

Meanwhile, the global number of vehicles continues to increase, driving growing demand for natural rubber in tire manufacturing. The challenge for tire producers is to ensure a stable and sustainable raw material supply without expanding rubber plantations in ways that could lead to deforestation.

To address this issue, in addition to the genetic research described above, Bridgestone Corporation is also developing other technologies to improve rubber yield on existing land. These include plant disease diagnostic tools and data-driven cultivation optimization methods. The company is also deploying these tools and training programs to smallholder farmers — who supply a significant share of natural rubber for the industry — based on knowledge accumulated from its own plantations. The aim is to simultaneously increase productivity, improve farmers’ income, and enhance the long-term sustainability of the tire supply chain.

Comments from participating institutions

Representing the academic side, Mr. Tito Latif Indra, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) at Universitas Indonesia, stated that this collaboration provides an important foundation for strengthening the faculty’s academic contribution to globally impactful research, particularly in sustainable natural resource management, thereby supporting sustainable rubber-producing regions in Indonesia.

Mr. Yukihisa Shimada, Director of the Kihara Institute of Biological Research at Yokohama City University, noted that international collaboration will accelerate high-precision genome analysis and the selection of promising tree lines, contributing scientific knowledge for sustainable resource utilization.

Mr. Kensuke Nakamura, President of Maebashi Institute of Technology, emphasized the institution’s role in both advancing locally grounded research and expanding international cooperation, aiming to generate practical knowledge that contributes to a more sustainable society.