Forest Trend data also shows that the export of rubber products such as rubber blocks, concentrated latex and rubber products such as automobile tires and medical equipment has increased from 2.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2015 to nearly 5.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2020.

But world-leading companies like Nike and Adidas, well-known apparel and sports equipment manufacturers are beginning to pay more attention to the source of rubber production. Tire manufacturers must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an industry standard for environmental and legal compliance. Unfortunately, none of the suppliers in Vietnam have FSC certificates.

Forest Trend senior policy analyst Phuc Xuan Toh said: Most of the Vietnamese rubber industry is unlikely to produce products that meet FSC standards. The disordered supply chain network involves 265,000 small farmers and hundreds of companies.

In addition, Vietnam has problems importing raw rubber from Cambodia and Laos. It is then mixed with rubber produced in the country. Therefore, tire management problems in neighboring countries have arisen. There are always land disputes and deforestation.

"The supply chain is very long, and in many cases it is impossible to track the output in the supply chain," Xuan Tho said.

Most imported rubber comes from Vietnamese companies that grow rubber in Cambodia and Laos. For example, the Vietnam Rubber Group under the Vietnamese government. Obtained FSC certification to produce rubber in Cambodia. The permit was revoked in 2015 because it drove villagers out of their farmland.

In addition, inconsistent statistics also make the overall picture of the Vietnamese rubber industry not as bright as it should be. According to data from Vietnam Customs, in the first half of 2021, 392,000 tons of raw rubber were imported from Cambodia. This is about 1.5 times the total imports in 2020 and nearly 50 times the 2019 imports.

However, the Cambodian customs data shows that in the first half of this year, the country’s total tire exports were only 102,800 tons.

Jean-Christoph Dipart, an agricultural researcher based in Cambodia. Comments Most rubber products in Cambodia are shipped to Vietnam as raw rubber through informal channels. And this form of trade is growing steadily. After rubber prices fell in 2012, global buyers and brands urged Vietnam and all relevant parties to increase the transparency of the rubber supply chain, and insisted that if Vietnam can, all buyers are willing to pay for the purchase of rubber.