Other crops that made the cut are: algae and its production of biofuels, corn and its ability to produce plastic, cockleburs and velcro derived from the plant, and the lotus plant the Lotus Effect.

• Manufacturers, medical institutions, shippers, and the end-user are all suffering from the rising costs and reduced availability of raw materials. Speculators have now found rubber so are having the same undesirable affect as they have had on petroleum.
• An economist from the International Rubber Study Group indicated a serious but temporary shortfall in rubber and latex supplies will start in 2010. During this time, prices will rise even further.
• On average, the EU and USA use approximately 100 gloves per person per year.
• Attendees were excited about guayule latex and manufacturing gloves in the U.S.

We recently came across historic photos from the early 1900’s when the first domestic enterprise, the Intercontinental Rubber Company, produced guayule rubber from plants grown in California. During WWII when America’s supply of natural rubber is cut off by the Japanese, the U.S. government purchased IRC to scale up a U.S. rubber industry.

• Could the growth of guayule production in the U.S. lead to the re-vitalization of the latex dipping industry in this country again?
• What’s the short and medium term outlook for synthetic latex feedstocks? With the recent performance in the markets for base energy and commodity petrochemicals volatile and unpredictable, could it get any worse?
• How are manufacturers reducing production costs? Is the final product meeting ASTM standards?

Results of the conference to be posted shortly.

Invited Yulex CEO participated in a seminar titled ‘Taking Clean Tech to the Next Level’ where he discussed the high-value plant based biomaterial derived from guayule and the strategies implemented to reduce water and energy use while addressing U.S. dependence on imported rubber.

The first medical device made from guayule natural rubber has just been cleared to market by the FDA. This is very exciting news for individuals with latex allergies and medical institutions becoming latex-safe! Soon we’ll be seeing guayule catheters, guayule dental dams, guayule everything. Here’s one article I found about the 510(k) clearance from the United Press International.

Recent hospitals such as Johns Hopkins Hospital are getting rid of all latex gloves and almost all latex products. The article talks about hospitals going ‘latex-safe’ and the pros and cons associated with it. Here’s an excerpt:

“Johns Hopkins is also working with Maricopa, Ariz.-based Yulex Inc., which has the exclusive license on a patent from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make a latex substitute from guayule, a desert plant in the Southwest that doesn’t contain the allergy-triggering protein.”

Congrats to hospitals that are making the environment safe for people with latex allergies.