Environmental Defense Fund and Bridgestone, Inc., and the University of Arizona are partnering to implement a large-scale crop conversion program, with the goal of transitioning 20,000 acres of traditional crops including cotton and alfalfa, to guayule (Parthenium argentatum), a shrub native to the desert Southwest that has a naturally high rubber content. Bridgestone is supporting this crop conversion project to de-risk its supply chain for rubber, which is currently reliant on imports from Southeast Asia.

In coming years, Bridgestone will continue to invest in the design and building of the first-ever domestic commercial natural rubber facility, located in Pinal County. A fully operational commercial line is expected by 2027, producing 250 tons per day (tpd), with plans to open three additional processing lines, processing a total of 1,000 tpd. This facility will require 10,000 acres of farmed guayule for the first year and an additional 10,000 acres each successive year. These first steps are the beginning of the vision for at least 20 similar facilities and associated crop production areas to be established across the Southwest, with the goal of supplementing 20% of the world’s natural rubber supply.