SRI and Kultevat begin research into Russian dandelions as a new source of natural rubber
With the ongoing aim of producing environmentally friendly and more powerful products, tyre manufacturer Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has entered into a joint research project with US biotech company Kultevat to investigate the potential of utilising Russian dandelions as an alternative source of natural rubber, which may one day replace the conventional source of natural rubber, the rubber tree. As the global tyre demand rises steadily, SRI has the objective of reducing the usage of fossil resources such as oil and coal, which account for approximately 60 percent of a conventional