Bridgestone, Kirin Find Success in Large-Scale Propagation of Natural Rubber-Containing Guayule

摘要

Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) has teamed up with Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. (TYO:2503) to achieve a breakthrough in the large-scale propagation of guayule. The companies have managed mass growth of the high-quality seeds for this by applying proprietary technology from Kirin to seed varieties selected by Bridgestone. Given that the structure of guayule-derived natural rubber differs from that derived from the Para rubber tree, there are certain differences in terms of characteristics. Nonetheless, expectations are that guayule-based materials can achieve equivalent performance, with the companies then set to move forward on basic studies into the potential use of guayule- extracted natural rubber for tires on trucks, buses and mining vehicles.