Rubber tires — a dirty business | DW Documentary

Summary

This investigative report delves into the tire industry, revealing the origins and production conditions of tires in Southeast Asia. Highlighting Thailand as a major rubber producer, it uncovers poor working conditions, low wages, and the use of toxic chemicals on plantations. The script also examines the tire industry's sustainability claims, the challenges faced by retreading companies, and the reluctance of major tire manufacturers to discuss their supply chains, raising questions about corporate responsibility and environmental impact.

Takeaways

• 🚗 Summertime in Germany sees a preference for driving to holiday destinations, highlighting the importance of road safety and tire quality.
• 🔢 Over 50 million tires are sold annually in Germany, representing a multi-billion dollar industry.
• 🌏 Tire production is a global affair, with origins ranging from China and Japan to the Czech Republic.
• 🧐 The script raises concerns about the sustainability and conditions of tire production, prompting an investigation into the industry.
• 🌱 Thailand is the world's largest producer of natural rubber, with over 4 million tons harvested yearly, and Bangkok as its trade center.
• 🔍 Journalist V's extensive writings on the rubber industry reveal the significant role of the tire industry in Thailand.
• 😔 Workers on rubber plantations face harsh conditions, including low wages and lack of protective gear when using toxic chemicals.
• 💼 The rubber trade is controlled by brokers who dictate prices, leaving little room for negotiation and fair compensation for farmers.
• 🏭 The script describes the operations of rubber processing factories, some of which supply to well-known tire manufacturers, yet remain anonymous.
• 🌳 Rubber plantations are expanding at the expense of local communities and environments, as seen in Cambodia where indigenous lands are being taken over.
• 🔄 While the tire industry is booming, there is a lack of responsibility taken by manufacturers for the sustainability of their supply chains, as well as a missed opportunity for tire recycling and retreading.

Q & A

What is the importance of tires in terms of road safety?

Tires are of paramount importance for road safety as they are crucial for a vehicle's grip, stability, and overall performance on the road.

How many tires are sold in Germany each year?

More than 50 million tires are sold in Germany each year.

What is the significance of the tire industry in Thailand?

Thailand is the world's biggest producer of natural rubber, and the tire industry plays a significant role in its economy, with rubber being harvested and tires being produced for global markets.

What challenges does the rubber plantation owner face in the script?

The rubber plantation owner faces a drop in the price per kilo due to a market glut, which affects his income and the working conditions of his workers.

What are the living conditions of the Cambodian workers on the rubber plantation?

The Cambodian workers live in decrepit huts, work long hours for low wages, and sometimes go without food during the rainy season when they can't work and don't get paid.

Why are the workers on the rubber plantation using paraquat, a toxic herbicide?

The workers use paraquat to kill the grass, preventing snakes from hiding in it and potentially biting them. However, they are not aware of the severe health risks associated with the chemical.

What is the role of brokers in the rubber trade in Thailand?

Brokers control the trade in the area, dictating the price of rubber, and the plantation owners have no right to negotiate. They also supply rubber to well-known firms, often anonymously.

How does the rubber industry impact the indigenous communities in Cambodia?

The rubber industry has led to the loss of fertile fields and land for indigenous communities, who have seen their lands bought by international companies, resulting in displacement and hardship.

What is the position of tire manufacturers on the use of retread tires for private cars?

Tire manufacturers like Goodyear offer retread tires for commercial vehicles and aircraft but not for private cars, which make up the majority of vehicles, citing various reasons such as performance and safety specifications.

What are the environmental and financial benefits of using retread tires?

Retread tires are more environmentally friendly as they require significantly less natural rubber compared to new tires. They also offer financial savings to consumers and help in reducing waste.

What is the stance of the German Rubber Manufacturers Association (WDK) on sustainability and social responsibility?

The WDK and its members recognize their social responsibility and have a code of conduct that includes values of integrity and fairness. They aim to promote sustainably produced natural rubber but acknowledge the challenges in influencing conditions at every level of the supply chain.

Outlines

00:00

🚗 Tire Industry and Sustainability Concerns

This paragraph discusses the importance of tire safety in Germany, where over 50 million tires are sold annually. It raises questions about the origins and production conditions of tires, highlighting the narrator's personal dilemma about tire sustainability. The narrator visits Greifen Stiebling, a large independent tire dealer, to inquire about tire production locations and sustainability, only to find that customers show little interest in these aspects. The dealer assures that big-name manufacturers prioritize sustainability, suggesting that buying from them would be a conscientious choice.

05:00

🌴 Exploring Rubber Plantations in Thailand

The paragraph delves into Thailand's role as the world's largest producer of natural rubber, with over 4 million tons harvested annually. The narrator meets a journalist to discuss the tire industry's impact on Thailand and the difficulty of obtaining information from industry insiders. A visit to a rubber plantation in Kau Kamau district reveals the process of rubber harvesting and the plantation owner's transition from rainforest to rubber cultivation. The harsh living and working conditions of Cambodian workers on the plantation are exposed, including low wages, long hours, and inadequate housing.

10:06

🛠️ Rubber Processing and Labor Conditions

This section describes the journey of rubber from plantation to processing, with a focus on the labor conditions of workers. The paragraph reveals the use of toxic chemicals like paraquat in rubber plantations, the lack of protective gear for workers, and the exploitation of Cambodian workers who earn below the minimum wage. It also touches on the rubber trade dynamics, where brokers dictate prices and plantation owners have no negotiation rights, leading to anonymous factory supply chains.

15:07

🌱 Rubber Plantations and Indigenous Communities

The paragraph examines the plight of indigenous communities in Cambodia, whose lands have been taken over by international companies for rubber plantations. The villagers of Kak have lost their fertile fields to rubber tree cultivation, leading to food scarcity and displacement. The paragraph also describes the expansion of rubber harvesting in Cambodia, which continues to grow at a rate of 6-7% annually, and the environmental and social consequences of this expansion.

20:07

🏭 Tire Manufacturers and Social Responsibility

The focus shifts to tire manufacturers' social responsibility and their sourcing practices. The narrator attempts to engage with major tire producers like Bridgestone, Continental, and Goodyear about their supply chains and labor practices but faces a lack of transparency and accountability. The German Rubber Manufacturers Association (WDK) is also approached, revealing a code of conduct that claims social responsibility but acknowledges the difficulty in influencing conditions at the farmer level.

25:08

🔄 Tire Retreading and Environmental Impact

The final paragraph discusses the environmental impact of tire production and the alternative of tire retreading. It presents the case for retreading as a more sustainable option, requiring significantly less new rubber and offering comparable performance to new tires. Despite this, retreads face an image problem and are often overlooked in favor of new tires, even by authorities that prioritize sustainability. The paragraph concludes with the narrator choosing retread tires for their family vacation, reflecting on the balance between safety, sustainability, and personal choice.

Keywords

💡Vacation

Vacation refers to a period of time set aside for relaxation and recreation, typically away from one's usual occupation. In the video's context, it is the time when many car owners in Germany prefer to drive to their holiday destinations, highlighting the importance of road safety and the role of tires during such journeys.

💡Tires

Tires are the resilient and durable coverings on the wheels of a vehicle that provide traction while the vehicle is moving. The script emphasizes their paramount importance for road safety, with over 50 million sold annually in Germany alone, underscoring the tire industry's economic significance.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the video refers to the concept of producing and consuming in a way that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is a key concern when discussing the production of tires, as the script raises questions about the environmental and social impact of tire manufacturing.

💡Natural Rubber

Natural rubber is a milky fluid extracted from rubber trees, which is then processed and used as a raw material in the production of tires. The script highlights Thailand as the world's largest producer of natural rubber, linking the tire industry's growth to the environmental and social conditions of rubber plantations.

💡Rubber Plantations

Rubber plantations are large-scale agricultural operations where rubber trees are cultivated for the production of natural rubber. The video script describes the conditions of these plantations in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand and Cambodia, and the impact they have on the environment and the workers' lives.

💡Working Conditions

Working conditions refer to the environment and conditions under which people work, including aspects like wages, hours, safety, and health. The script delves into the poor working conditions on rubber plantations, with workers earning below minimum wage and facing health risks from exposure to chemicals.

💡Environmental Issues

Environmental issues in the video pertain to the negative impacts that the tire industry and rubber plantations have on the environment, such as deforestation, chemical use, and the contribution to climate change. The script raises awareness about the need for sustainable practices in the industry.

💡Multinational Corporations

Multinational corporations, as mentioned in the script, are large companies that operate in multiple countries. The video discusses how these corporations, such as Bridgestone and Continental, are involved in the tire industry and have a responsibility towards sustainable and ethical sourcing of raw materials like natural rubber.

💡Retreading

Retreading is the process of replacing the worn tread of a tire with a new one, allowing the tire to be reused. The script presents retreading as a more sustainable alternative to producing new tires, using significantly less natural rubber and reducing waste.

💡Recycling

Recycling in the context of the video refers to the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. It discusses the lack of legal obligation to recycle tires in Germany and the environmental consequences of burning old tires for fuel, suggesting a need for better waste management practices in the tire industry.

💡Ethical Sourcing

Ethical sourcing is the practice of procuring raw materials in a manner that ensures fair wages, safe working conditions, and minimal environmental impact. The script questions the tire industry's commitment to ethical sourcing by revealing the harsh realities of rubber plantation workers and the lack of transparency in supply chains.

Highlights

In Germany, road safety is highly dependent on tires, which are a multi-billion dollar business with over 50 million sold annually.

The origin and sustainability of tires are not commonly considered by consumers, despite being a significant factor for dealers.

Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, is central to the global rubber trade, being the largest producer of natural rubber.

Access to rubber plantations and the tire industry in Thailand is restricted, indicating a desire for secrecy within the industry.

Rubber plantation workers in Thailand face poor living and working conditions, including low wages and exposure to toxic chemicals.

The rubber industry in Thailand has grown 300% in the last 30 years, leading to environmental and social concerns.

Tire manufacturers prioritize sustainability but often fail to ensure fair working conditions throughout their supply chain.

Cambodian rubber plantation workers receive even lower wages and face worse living conditions than their Thai counterparts.

Land grabbing by international companies has led to the displacement of indigenous communities in Cambodia.

Tire manufacturers are reluctant to disclose their suppliers, indicating a lack of transparency in the industry.

The German Rubber Manufacturers Association (WDK) has a code of conduct, but its effectiveness in improving conditions is questionable.

Tire retreading is a more sustainable practice that uses significantly less natural rubber compared to producing new tires.

Despite environmental benefits, tire retreading faces an image problem and is often overlooked in favor of new tires.

Independent tire testing shows that retread tires can match the performance of new tires when produced from high-quality originals.

The narrative concludes with a personal choice for sustainability, opting for retread tires for a family vacation.

Transcripts

summertime is vacation time

here in germany most car owners still

prefer to drive

even to distant holiday destinations

when it comes to road safety

tires are of course of paramount

importance

more than 50 million are sold each year

in germany alone

it's a multi-billion dollar business but

where do these tires come from

and under what conditions are they

produced

the tires of my family car are well past

their prime

they're getting old and are a bit

brittle the need to replace them ahead

of a family vacation has got me thinking

about the origin and sustainability of

tires on the market

greifen stiebling a family-run business

is one of the biggest independent

dealers in western germany

i'd like to buy a set of new summer

tires and want some advice

the store stocks the standard brands

they're all good quality

but i have a different question on my

mind

can i tell where a tire was produced is

that possible

yeah yes made in china

japan the czech republic tires are

clearly produced all

around the world are customers

interested under what conditions the

tires are produced

very few to be honest the customers

aren't interested in sustainability

how the tires are produced for us it is

of course an important factor

but very few customers are interested to

be honest

but the sales advisor is convinced that

his products meet sustainability

standards

so i could buy any of these with a clear

conscience

big name manufacturers place a lot of

importance on sustainability

so i think it would be better to stick

with them because you can be sure that

they

are aware of environmental issues

and so i think you can buy tires with a

clear conscience

we want to make our own assessment so we

head off for southeast asia

thailand is the world's biggest producer

of natural rubber

more than 4 million tons of it are

harvested on its plantations each year

over the last 30 years production here

has grown by 300 percent

bangkok is the center of the rubber

trade

we're meeting journalist v interrupt

who's written extensively about the

industry

even from the car it's clear what a big

role the tire industry plays in thailand

after all it's not just natural rubber

that is produced here

but many tires are too they're then

shipped around the world in containers

but it's not easy to get a glimpse

inside the business here

well as the rubber industries

play playing the important role

to thai economy so um i think

the people in this industry might want

to keep some secret

with them so it's quite a bit difficult

to

to get information from from them

[Music]

our first stop is in kau kamau district

southeast of bangkok

large amounts of rubber are grown here

thanks to these contacts we gain access

to one of the plantations

the owner inherited the plantation from

his parents

in the past this area was rainforest my

parents cleared the whole area and

started cultivating it

first they planted rice and sugarcane

but later they switched

the plantation begins right behind his

house

for the first time we see how rubber is

harvested

the rubber latex strips out of an

incision in the bark of a tree

it can be harvested in a liquid state or

through the addition of vinegar as

they're doing here

to get the rubber to solidify and

harvest it in solid pieces

employs more than 50 workers on his

plantation

later we will discover what kind of

conditions they live in

bowser pot has just planted new rubber

trees despite a glut

on the market that's driven a steady

drop in the price per kilo

we used to earn good money with our

rubber

if the plantation owner himself is

feeling the pinch

what about his workers on the edge of

the plantation we find their decrepit

huts the workers all come from

neighboring cambodia

they're willing to work for lower wages

than ties

i work 12 hours a day 5 days a week

sometimes more

night has fallen on bowser plantation

it's the best time to harvest rubber the

cambodians are getting ready to go to

work

their night shift starts at eight pm and

ends at about five in the morning

with just head torches for light they

slice deeper and deeper grooves into the

tree trunks to keep the milky latex

[Music]

flowing

now has been working on the plantation

with her family for the past seven years

the 23 year old can't read or write

i earn very little here between 4 000

and 5

000 a month

hard night shifts for a mere 140 euros a

month

that's around half of the minimum wage

in thailand

which is itself hardly generous

the family always gathers at five in the

morning to eat

but sometimes they have to go without

in the rainy season we can't work and

don't get paid

then we often don't have anything to eat

and have to go hungry

when it gets light nah's daughter heads

off to school

she only gets to see her mother briefly

the rest of the family is going to bed

they own just two mattresses shared

between eight

family members

[Music]

[Music]

outside is nas brother his job today

spraying herbicide he's using the

extremely toxic product

paraquat long outlawed in europe

da feels safe wearing a mask

what the 25 year old doesn't realize is

that paraquat can also be absorbed

through the skin and can lead to severe

kidney

liver and heart damage he should by no

means be working without protective

clothing in shorts

but no one has told him that

since before the harvest we have to kill

the grass with poisonous chemicals

otherwise snakes could hide in the grass

between the trees and bite us

this is what it looks like before the

herbicide is used and this is what it

looks

like afterwards

the chemicals remain in the ground for

months not a single worker here is

wearing protective gloves

after the harvest boast sells his rubber

to the woman who controls the trade in

the area

a broker she dictates the price

as tradition has it he has no right to

negotiate

[Music]

[Music]

from here we send the latex to our

partner factory for processing

then our rubber is sent on to many

well-known firms

such as goodyear for example

we ask what factory she supplies

she calls to ask whether she can

disclose their name

but the company prefers to remain

anonymous

undeterred we decide to follow a truck

we want to know who processes the rubber

[Music]

our journey ends outside the gates of

the tai hua rayong rubber factory

which is mainly in chinese hands

we ask for permission to film but we're

immediately turned away

and told in no uncertain terms that a

written request

is also pointless from above it's

possible to get an idea of the scale of

the factory that supplies the processed

commodity to manufacturers worldwide

then unexpectedly we do get a chance to

look around a rubber factory

although it's considerably smaller

the owner shows us around her company

also supplies tai hua riyang rubber

among others and mainly processes liquid

latex

the workers here are thai not cambodian

we ask whether they get the minimum wage

of 9000 baht around two hundred sixty

euros

i earn five thousand baht a month but

when the price of rubber goes up again i

might earn twenty thousand

they carry on hoping for better times

the minimum wage is nine thousand baht

but

these people can never have nine

thousand a month no because we didn't

pay like a daily

we pay off the data we like say 50 50

what we but we said we can sell like if

we can sell like

um 2 000 they get 1000 we get 1000 as

the owner

so the employees are not employees but

get a share of the profits

it's that easy to undercut thailand's

scanty minimum wage

behind the factory is the factory's own

rubber plantation amid the trees

a ramshackle hut

not far away we meet an elderly couple

collecting rubber

will i be i'm over 80.

and i've been working here for 50 years

back then the old gentleman was the boss

and the plantation was high up in the

mountains

his wife live in grinding poverty while

the tire industry boasts worldwide sales

of more than 1.2 billion car tires

[Applause]

we decide to confront the big name tire

manufacturers based in thailand

but japanese multinational bridgestone

the world's biggest tire producer

declines our request for an interview

none of the manufacturers are willing to

reveal their suppliers

we try the german firm continental which

has recently opened a new production

plant close to the city of ryong

we contacted them several times before

our arrival asking for an interview

but most requests went unanswered just

like this one

continental which is based in hanover is

the world's fourth biggest tire producer

and so it has a particular

responsibility when it comes to

determining working conditions in the

sector

we hear that the living conditions of

people on rubber plantations in

neighboring cambodia are even worse than

in thailand

so we decide to head there

[Music]

from the capital phnom penh we travel

north

like in thailand there are rubber

plantations as far as the eye can see

with the help of our interpreter we try

to arrange a visit to a rubber

processing plant

we made several written requests for

permission to film

and while we don't get that we are

allowed to watch production

[Music]

here too the natural rubber is delivered

in either solid

or liquid form

the people running the factory tell us

they supply their product to all parts

of the globe

in the season we have to work from six

in the morning to ten at night

sometimes less when there's nothing to

do

workers are housed on the other side of

the street

often the mothers fathers and their

older children work together in the

factory

or on the firm's own plantation

it's a tough life

[Music]

factory workers are usually better off

than plantation workers

here they even have their own bathroom

and a kitchen of sorts

good we normal workers usually earn

around 150

a month in the factory for a seven day

week

on top of that we get this accommodation

free electricity

and 20 kilos of rice a month

in the high season we sometimes earn 250

dollars a month

we travel on to the ratanakiri province

in northeast cambodia

here many indigenous communities live

together in villages

and farm the land one of these villages

is kak

or the tanli-san river

[Music]

until recently the people here worked

their fields and lived modestly but

well in accordance with their own

traditions

but those times are over their fertile

fields were practically stolen from them

big international companies bought the

land from the government

land that had been in the community's

hands for generations

amid the global hunger for natural

rubber the villagers fields were plowed

up to plant rubber trees

today the community has lost almost all

its

but we didn't have a chance

they've taken everything from us many

families have nothing to eat

the village chief and

sixty-five-year-old pujan

show us their land

here where their crops once grew we find

a lunar landscape ready for planting new

rubber trees

[Music]

the company took our fields and graves

and now they've even stripped bare our

sacred mountain

the people of refused to work for

these new masters

on their own fields like many other

villages

they're demanding the return of their

land but they don't have much hope

in the meantime new settlements have

sprung up on their fields

they house women and men who have moved

to the area to work on the rubber

plantations

they too live in desperate conditions

every year the rubber harvest in

cambodia grows by six to seven percent

and end to this growth is not in sight

on the edge of the plantation the next

field is being burned off to clear the

vegetation

and make space for even more rubber

trees

for even more rubber for car tires

we've seen enough and fly back to

germany to confront the tire industry

with our findings

we try our luck again at continental

headquarters in hanover

in 2018 the automotive supplier had a

turnover of 44.4 billion euros

no one here wants to be interviewed but

they do at least give a written reply to

some of our questions

continental uses natural commodities

conscientiously

and develops promotes and implements

sustainable and responsible sourcing of

natural rubber across the value chain

the statement continues continental is

aware of its responsibility and aims to

make an active and responsible

contribution

to promoting sustainably produced

natural rubber

continental also refers to its code of

conduct

since 2011 all our suppliers have had to

agree to abide by our business partner

code of conduct

we continue on to frankfurt to the

german rubber manufacturers association

the wdk

many tire manufacturers are among its

members

it's headquartered in a villa in the

city center

boris engelhardt is wdk's managing

director

the lobby group also has a code of

conduct

it sounds good at first the wdk and its

members recognize their social

responsibility to their own company to

customers and suppliers

to the environment and to society the

actions of the companies are guided in

particular by the values of integrity

and

fairness

this code of conduct has existed for

some time now

it provided the basis for this

sustainability charter that stipulates

that we're responsible for the people

who are employed across this rubber

value chain

but we can't influence everything right

down to the farmer

some farmers

then it would reach the first echelon of

traders but there are seven other

traders beneath them so you never reach

the farmer in end effect

we showed boris engelhardt our footage

from the rubber plantations

[Music]

that shocking it's definitely shocking i

can't find any excuse or explanation for

that

we now definitely have to look to the

future

like continental the other market

leaders bridgestone and michelin

also don't want to give us an interview

we try our luck in hannah near frankfurt

where the world's third biggest tire

manufacturer is based

goodyear but we have no success here

goodyear simply responds with a written

statement

goodyear doesn't buy natural rubber from

cambodia we source less than five

percent of our global requirements for

natural rubber from thailand

it goes on we're committed to the

responsible sourcing of raw materials

including

natural rubber

the statement continues

we offer retread tires for commercial

vehicles and aircraft

reducing the use of natural rubber

but why does goodyear retread the tires

of commercial vehicles and planes

and not the tires of private cars which

make up the vast majority of vehicles

we visit germany's only big retreader

for automobiles

hyphen house here worn down treads of

tires are peeled off and replaced with

new ones

this is start safely if we look at this

tire here

we can see only its surface is worn

so essentially the product is disposed

of when only about 20 percent of it is

worn

that's absurd

in germany there's no legal obligation

to recycle tires

obike julius has to source most of the

old tires that he needs from france or

spain

what happens to used tires in germany

there are various disposal methods but

usually the tires are shredded and

supplied to cement works which burn the

tires for fuel

but now because we have a surplus of old

tires some cement works have stopped

taking them

or instead of paying for them they get

paid to use them as fuel

in germany some 200 000 tons of old

tires go up in smoke each year

while more and more rubber plantations

are being established in southeast asia

to satisfy the hunger for rubber of

course the retreading process also

requires fresh rubber

but about 70 to 80 percent less than is

needed to produce

new tires that's a tire that has been

produced in exactly the same way as a

new tire

the production steps were identical we

have to fulfill identical legal

requirements

we conform to international standards we

have the same speed ratings

these tires have to match up to new ones

in every way

tire retreads have an image problem

as obika julius knows all too well

a local authority issued a call for

tenders for equipping police vehicles

with winter tires

and this call categorically ruled out

retreads

and that's even though the government

always maintains that it places

importance on sustainability

and no one has been able to explain to

me to this day what data or facts

this decision was based upon

we would also be interested in finding

out why police in the city of

weklinghausen decided against

retread tires and here too

our request for an interview was

declined instead they issue

a written statement on emergency

call-outs our vehicles face

extreme situations police cars have to

be able to cope with greater strains

than normal vehicles on the road

but recklinghausen police don't say why

a retread wouldn't be

up to the job

we traveled to the northern german state

of schleswigstein

to one of germany's few independent tire

testing laboratories

we have an appointment with an expert

peter kleingan

the police in recklinghausen say they

can't use retreads because they don't

meet their high specifications

can that be true

no we've been testing new tyres for

decades now

if a retread is produced from a high

quality worn tyre

then it will match the performance of a

new tire

and the police and the public in general

should consider the environmental and

financial arguments in favor of retreads

we can definitely say that modern

retread plants in europe

are so advanced that their products can

compete with new tires

i decided to go for retreads this time

and i wonder how my workshop will

respond

first of all the tires have to be

balanced

30 30. what does that mean

basically they can be easily balanced

there are some big name brands that

aren't that good

i'm curious to see how they perform on

the road

this time i've opted for sustainability

i'm also confident they're safe too

and with peace of mind i set off on my

family vacation

[Music]

you