Brussels, 10th March 2016 -The rubber industry associations of Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain with the support of the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers' Association (ETRMA) launched a campaign providing information on the general rubber goods (GRG) industry and the challenges it is facing.

"The GRG industry is fundamental and yet mostly unknown to the general public as well as to policy makers" said Ms Cinaralp introducing the initiative. For this reason, the industry saw the need of publishing information clarifying why "rubber is unique, strategic, not replaceable and an enabler for other industries".

The communication focuses on the four main challenges of the General Rubber Goods industry:

• Red Tape
• The regulatory Herculean task
• The need of a Single Market for rubber products in contact with food and drinking water
• The need to bridge the skills gap.

For each topic, the industry gives an overview of the actions that are needed from policy makers as well as those it already undertook and which need further institutional support.

Further details can be found in two leaflets downloadable at the following links:

· The General Rubber Goods Industry and its Challenges

· The Rubber Goods Industry at a Glance

Furthermore a summary info-graphic can be found here and a video on the many destination of use of rubber products can be viewed at this link.

The seven National Associations partnering in this project represent thousands of SMEs as well as multinationals, which together employ about 160,000 people all over Europe with a turnover of about €30 Billion.

For further information, please contact: info@etrma.org