Part I - Natural Rubber
When the race to control the world's supply of rubber gained momentum in the late 19th century, the term "exploitation" covered all facets of its cultivation and production; governments were stripped of endowed resources, corrupt business practices reigned supreme, and laborers were subjected to near-slave wages and pitiful working conditions. Among the most ravaged though, were local ecosystems, subjected to destructive forest-clearing at the hands of corporations and local farmers alike.
This video shows, in considerable detail, the process of draining rubber trees for latex.
Before 1850, latex from rubber trees was a virtually unused asset; it took Charles Goodyear (of Goodyear Tires fame) to, somewhat accidentally, develop a technique termed "vulcanization". Essentially, this process treated the syrupy natural substance, transforming it into the more recognizable rubber still in use today. The demand for vulcanized rubber increased dramatically in the late 18th and early 19th centuries with the dawn of automobile technology. In order to meet this demand, mass production of rubber trees (most notably hevea brasiliensis) became the norm in tropical climates; vast plantations, often owned by proto-globalized Western corporations, covered the equator from Brazil to Sumatra (Tucker 227).
By the 1930's, plantations worldwide were operating at capacity considering the ever-increasing demand for vehicle tires. By 1940, the world was gripped with war; human innovation would soon produce a new reason to fear the production of tires.
Part II - Synthetic Rubber
During World War II, the United States and Allied powers were essentially cut off from the world's largest rubber-growing region, Southeast Asia. Of course, this was problematic from the beginning; by 1930, the US was already using about half of the world's entire natural rubber output. The need for mobile military vehicles increased this demand significantly; the construction of one tank required about 1 ton of rubber; one battleship, over 75 tons. To address the problem, the US government joined capitalist innovators to devise a chemical solution; synthetic rubber was born. The economic effects? In 1941, the US produced about 231 tons of rubber annually. By 1945, it produced about 70,000 tons per month (acs.org). In economic and militaristic terms, the production of synthetic rubber was a massive success. Currently, over 70% of the world's rubber output is synthetic (acs.org). Like many economic achievements, synthetic rubber was touted as a positive innovation simply because it allowed for production at the cheapest possible cost; between wartime demand and increasing civilian automobile demand, little else mattered.
Below, note the difference between synthetic rubber manufacturing and that of natural rubber; synthetic demands heavy industry and mechanics for production, not simple manpower.
During World War II, the United States and Allied powers were essentially cut off from the world's largest rubber-growing region, Southeast Asia. Of course, this was problematic from the beginning; by 1930, the US was already using about half of the world's entire natural rubber output. The need for mobile military vehicles increased this demand significantly; the construction of one tank required about 1 ton of rubber; one battleship, over 75 tons. To address the problem, the US government joined capitalist innovators to devise a chemical solution; synthetic rubber was born. The economic effects? In 1941, the US produced about 231 tons of rubber annually. By 1945, it produced about 70,000 tons per month (acs.org). In economic and militaristic terms, the production of synthetic rubber was a massive success. Currently, over 70% of the world's rubber output is synthetic (acs.org). Like many economic achievements, synthetic rubber was touted as a positive innovation simply because it allowed for production at the cheapest possible cost; between wartime demand and increasing civilian automobile demand, little else mattered.
Below, note the difference between synthetic rubber manufacturing and that of natural rubber; synthetic demands heavy industry and mechanics for production, not simple manpower.
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