Investing in the new “green” rubber Guayule

by Jason Lancaster

Daily we receive the message from the media that green is good. We, as consumers, maintain that green buildings, green cars, green plastic and now even green rubber should be the focus. With products such as latex rubber made from a desert plant called guayule becoming more common, this is proving easier and easier to do.

Most rubber is derived from hevea, a product of the para rubber tree. Para rubber trees, native to Brazil, were transplanted to Southeast Asia where they have been carefully bred to increase hevea production. Today, most rubber comes from this region of the world, with the balance synthetically produced from petroleum. While it’s true that most rubber is inherently organic, it’s not necessarily “green”-at least not as green as guayule.

The benefits of using environmentally-friendly rubber derived from the guayule plant are simple to see, beginning with proximity. Whereas guayule can be grown in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, hevea, the other natural source of latex rubber, must be grown in tropical climates. Because of reduced fuel usage, since guayule is grown so close to home, the cost to the environment is lower than importing hevea-based rubber from overseas.

A second green benefit presented is guayule’s location. Unlike the common hevea rubber produced from para rubber trees grown in tropical areas, guayule is a tremendously hearty plant. To keep its health it does not require any chemical pesticides because it’s naturally resistant. To remain healthy para rubber trees require chemical pesticides because they are tremendously susceptible to leaf blight. Guayule’s natural pest resistance is significant since chemical pesticides have been associated with various health and environmental risks.

A third green attribute of guayule is that it can be used as an ethanol feedstock. Unlike corn, which is commonly used to make ethanol, guayule is not a food source and therefore does not impact the world’s food source in availability or price. In some situations the demand for corn to produce ethanol has impacted the food supply in the market. But that’s not an issue with guayule since it’s not a food source.

Finally, an excellent source of hypoallergenic natural rubber latex is guayule. A serious issue is hevea latex allergies. It’s estimated that 10 percent of the U.S. population has a latex allergy. Currently, most hypoallergenic latex is synthetic rubber derived from a petroleum base. Obviously, a natural hypoallergenic rubber source is fundamentally superior to rubber synthesized from petroleum.

Throughout the 20th century, guayule gained popularity because of import restrictions, leaf blight decimation, and common latex allergies among health care providers. Although more rubber can be produced from a single para rubber tree than a guayule plant, the locale, energy-producing potential, hypoallergenic qualities, and overall greenness of the guayule plant is unbeatable.

Now the question is how do green-conscious consumers support this product? Local farmers in the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, along with the Yulex Corporation, are working to produce the crop and manufacture latex products from it. Finding ways to support these entities is a sure way to invest in the success of the environment and the affordability of guayule produced rubber products.

About the Author:

About the Author: Jason Lancaster is a devotee of up-and-coming biotechnology agriculture. You can learn more about guayule at GuayuleBlog.com.