The report provides an understanding of the various tiers of the natural rubber supply chain from the private companies in Viet Nam. It highlights the challenges of participating companies to addressing labour issues and also provides practical recommendations for companies to explore the collective approach to uphold human and labour rights of workers in global supply chains.

The report is produced under a project between FLA, IOM and three global footwear and sporting goods companies - adidas, Puma and New Balance – during 2019 and 2020 to foster learning about supply chain mapping and map the natural rubber value chain. The project engaged with over 40 suppliers in Viet Nam ranging from footwear manufacturers, component suppliers, traders, intermediaries, rubber processors to private plantations and smallholder farmers.

Viet Nam is one of the top five producers and exporters of natural rubber. The report comes at a time when governments around the world are enacting legislative and regulatory frameworks requiring multinational companies to implement public reporting on the human rights impacts of their full supply chain. Failure to exercise adequate whole supply chain due diligence under these laws could lead to financial penalties and operational challenges, including having goods excluded from entry in a country.