Firestone Liberia responds to recent commentary on Executive Order 151

 Margibi County, August 22, 2025 – Firestone Liberia is aware of and concerned about the recent commentary titled “The Future of Liberia’s Rubber Industry: An Examination of Presidential Executive Orders and International Relations,” published in the Thursday, August 21, 2025, edition of FrontPage Africa.

The article suggests Firestone Liberia’s operations conflict with or violate Executive Order 151, signed on August 1, 2025, which restricts the export of unprocessed rubber. Firestone Liberia maintains a strong commitment to good corporate governance and transparency in all engagements with the Government of Liberia, stakeholders, and partners in the natural rubber sector. As such, operating in contradiction to a government directive would be counterintuitive to our values and practices.

Importantly, Executive Order 151 clearly outlines exemptions in Sections 1 and 2, specifically for technically specified rubber (TSR). Firestone Liberia exclusively processes and exports TSR. The Order further states, “only rubber with domestic value addition may be exported, and that the natural rubber industry worldwide generally considers TSR as processed rubber.” Based on these definitions, it is evident that Firestone Liberia is fully supportive and compliant with the Order.

Beyond rubber processing, Firestone Liberia’s value addition extends to long-standing investments in Liberia’s rubber sector and the communities we serve. For nearly 100 years, our contributions have demonstrated a commitment that is both locally impactful and globally relevant:

• Support to Smallholders: We partner with nearly 5,000 smallholder farmers, purchasing approximately 50 million pounds of natural rubber annually and injecting over USD $30 million in practices (GAP), enhancing productivity, sustainability, and income.
• Tree Donation Program: We have donated over 3.8 million high-yield rubber tree seedlings to Liberian farmers. We also support road-building projects for outlier rubber smallholder farmers and share sustainability innovations such as organic fertilizers, hydrogel for year-round planting, and root trainer plants of high-performing clones.
• Industry Collaboration: We actively engage with the Rubber Planters Association of Liberia (RPAL), contributing to knowledge sharing and industry sustainability.
• Sustainability Leadership: Firestone Liberia is proud to be the world’s first natural rubber operation certified by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC+), along with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR Add-On), reflecting our commitment to sustainable operations.
• Community Empowerment: Through Firestone Health Services, including Du-Side Hospital and three health centers, we provide healthcare access to over 50,000 individuals across 156 surrounding communities. Our Firestone School System consistently outperforms national averages, with a 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination WAASCE pass rate of 98% and graduates excelling at local universities.

Firestone Liberia remains committed to making positive contributions to the health and welfare of our employees and their dependents, and to the country and people of Liberia. -Press release