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Investing in the new "green" rubber Guayule

Daily we receive the message from the media that green is good. We, as consumers, maintain that green buildings, green cars, green plastic and now even green rubber should be the focus. With products such as latex rubber made from a desert plant called guayule becoming more common, this is proving easier and easier to do.

Most rubber is derived from hevea, a para rubber tree product. Native to Brazil, para rubber trees were transplanted to Southeast Asia where they have been bred carefully to increase hevea production. Today, most rubber comes from this region of the world, with the synthetically produced balance from petroleum. While most rubber is inherently organic, it's true that it's not necessarily "green"-at least not as green as guayule.

The benefits of using rubber derived from the environmentally-friendly plant guayule are simple to see, beginning with proximity. Guayule can be grown in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, whereas hevea, the other natural source of latex rubber, must be grown overseas in tropical climates. Since guayule is grown so close to home, the cost to the environment is lower than importing hevea-based rubber from overseas because of reduced fuel usage.

Second, guayule's location presents a green benefit. Guayule is a tremendously hearty plant, unlike hevea rubber produced from the common para rubber tree grown in tropical areas. Because it's naturally resistant, it does not require any chemical pesticides to keep its health. Para rubber trees are tremendously susceptible to leaf blight, so chemical pesticides are required to remain healthy. Chemical pesticides have been associated with various environmental and health risks, so guayule's natural pest resistance is significant.

Guayule's third green attribute is that it can be used as an ethanol feedstock. Guayule is not a food source, unlike corn, which is commonly used to make ethanol, and therefore doesn't impact the world's food source in price or availability. The demand for corn produced ethanol, in some situations, has impacted the food supply in the market. But that isn't an issue since guayule is not a food source.

Finally, an excellent source of hypoallergenic natural rubber latex is guayule. A serious issue is hevea latex allergies. It's estimated that 10 percent of the U.S. population has a latex allergy. Currently, most hypoallergenic latex is synthetic rubber derived from a petroleum base. Obviously, a natural hypoallergenic rubber source is fundamentally superior to rubber synthesized from petroleum.

Guayule gained popularity throughout the 20th century because of import restrictions, leaf blight decimation, and common latex allergies among health care providers. Although a single para rubber tree can produce more rubber than a guayule plant, the locale, energy-producing potential, hypoallergenic qualities, and overall greenness of the guayule plant is unbeatable.

How do green-conscious consumers support this product is the question now. Yulex Corporation along with local farmers in the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico are working to produce the crop and manufacture latex products from it. A sure way to invest in the success of the environment and the affordability of guayule produced rubber products, is finding ways to support these entities.

Article Source: http://www.articlebankonline.com

Author Jason Lancaster is a devotee of emerging biotechnology agriculture. You can learn more about guayule at GuayuleBlog.com.

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