Rubber tires - a dirty business | DW Documentary

The booming global tire market is worth billions - but this comes at a high price, both to humans and the environment. Over 50 million car tires are sold each year in Germany alone. But where does the natural rubber for them come from?
The biggest producer of natural rubber for tires is Thailand. More than four million tonnes of rubber are harvested annually in plantations there. And demand for rubber is ever growing - because ever more tires are needed. But the labor conditions in Southeast Asia are harsh - with working days of up to 12 hours and very low wages. In addition, toxic herbicides banned in Europe are used to fight weeds on the plantations. After the harvest, the ‘white gold’ rubber is sold to brokers, who, in turn, sell it on. German tire manufacturers, like Continental, for example, are keen to stress that they use "natural commodities conscientiously.” But many car drivers don’t give a second thought about where the rubber in their tires comes from - and why we don’t recycle used tires more effectively.
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[@snap-off5383]

Its been SO LONG since I saw real journalism I almost forgot what it was like. GREAT JOB.

[@daleronsin4756]

not scientific journalism. Skewed. E.G no one even comments on the fatigue of steel in radial tires that are recapped, or about the heat effects that continue the vulcanization with time, changing elasticity and all the tire properties. Its simply journal- ism

[@foxtrotdeltausn4757]

also it's not even their's they stole it and blurred the watermark. Look at the lower left side of the screen

[@burntchickennugget191]

Very true

[@RustyShacklefardd]

For a majority of their content, but for the one about poverty in America it was extremely bias against Trump

[@foxtrotdeltausn4757]

@@RustyShacklefardd to be fair there isnt that much news that isn't furthering the liberal agenda

[@Mark_Lacey]

Me and wifey produce rubber in Thailand. Used to be a good living. 5 years ago the price was B50/kg. Today the price is B18.5/kg. Ask yourself this: has the price for your tyres dropped by +50% in the last 5 years? The price for natural rubber is affected by the oil price. As the oil price drops synthetic rubber becomes cheaper and the demand for natural rubber drops. The peopele who make the money are the middlemen, processors and tyre manufacturers. It's always the farmers who suffer. We stopped production last year because the price was so crap.

[@chaileeportraits]

Thank you for playing a part in my car tyres thank you for trying... I feel bad i did burnouts

[@MrPland1992]

Honestly yes I think tires have gotten a little cheaper. It’s only like $30 a tire for my civic and $70 a tire for all terrains on my Jeep.

[@shhhdontshout]

@@MrPland1992 really? My mazda2 16' tires are RM200 a piece

[@justarandomguy3969]

@@MrPland1992 my bmw tires are $190-240 a piece

[@MrPland1992]

just a random guy you’re getting ripped off then. Go to Walmart or order them online. If you’re going to race and go 175 mph once a week then yes buy the better tires. Bmws are designed for autobahn so they come with expensive tires from factory. Not necessary for most drivers.

[@ashwinikumar2302]

The documentary has touched every aspect of the tyre industry from plantations to middlemen to manufacturers to consumers... I will now not hesitate to use refurbished tyres for my vehicle as long as they meet the safety standards.

[@angelawoods5829]

That’s just the thing too / the companies know that they will meet enough standards just to make them 😢 their profit one way or another… reminds me of the research I done on Coca Cola / Pepsi when they was war & poverty they just came out with a cheaper soda - like grape / orange & other’s so they covered their wallets reguardless of the economy… it’s sad heart breaking

[@ashwinikumar2302]

@@angelawoods5829 you are right madam.. Most organizations these days run solely for profit with no foresight for future generations. There is also a misconception that those adopting environment friendly measures will not be able to sustain their business... These type of short-term goals are making the world a garbage dump !

[@chrismcdonald6554]

I wouldn’t to dangerously remade not dependable. Wouldn’t want you driving beside me as well

[@DobroPlayer12]

"Refurbished" or retread tyres are nowhere near as safe as new ones in terms of grip

[@amasim86]

@@chrismcdonald6554 all lorry tyres are retread tyres, so are you saying that you would drive next to a lorry?

[@stevemellinger2996]

I’ve worked for a major tire manufacturer for almost 25 years. This was a very interesting article. It was very well done. But retreading although is one measure, isn’t the silver bullet. Unfortunately we live in a much more complex world. Tires are much more complex than most people realize. Passenger tires have sometimes 20 different rubber compounds inside each tire. Different compounds different physical properties. The material science is impressive. We rely on our tires to get us where we are going safely. If the tire fails, at best our day is disrupted, at worst we die. At best a retread tire can be just as good as a new, but if there is even a 5% chance of a failure that would kill you or your family, would you take the risk? At the cost of being green? Or perhaps contributing to a lower demand of natural rubber? Our world is filled with the rich and the poor. Driving retreaded tires won’t change that. The maid in your room at your resort in the beaches of Thailand does not make the same money as the maid in Springfield USA. Same work different pay. 3rd world corruption is real paying more for raw materials will feed the uppers in these countries but will not reach the farmers. But raising raw material costs will raise the costs of tires and therefore feed the inflation whee and increase the delta between the rich and poor. This is the way the world works. Sad but true.

[@frederickbooth7970]

We have & gladly use retreaded tires. Just have to be diligent about the cores that are used. Prefer tires that you yourself have already have used & know their history of where they have been used & under what loading conditions.

[@marmotensen]

Well said. World problems are not just black or white DW.

[@SalveMonesvol]

Where do you get that 5% failure rate from?

[@TheNukaColaQuantum]

Well if there was a 5% chance of failure then your argument holds, but the failure rate on re-treaded tires is the exact same as non-retreaded tires; I have yet to find a study showing otherwise.

[@SalveMonesvol]

@@TheNukaColaQuantum I'd go as far as to say that his argument is so good that it will hold if instead of 5% it was a 0,5% chance of catastrophic failure. But, just like you, I was unable to find data supporting even that.

[@24juan68]

A guy sets out for a family vacation and ends up traveling across the word to tell a story.. nicely done ✅

[@svmsvm386]

👍👌

[@tarmbruster1]

Smooth wasn’t it?

[@elmerfrejoles98]

And hopefully brought his family with him too, that would protect him from temptations at Bangkok!

[@internal.inferno2088]

Clever self advertising, JBG travels... Username checks out. ✅

[@mellowmelo6319]

I AGREE

[@kapilaimbulahitiya2510]

I don’t know how to appreciate DW for their efforts for public awareness. Thanks all of your efforts.

[@DWDocumentary]

We see you! Thank you for your comment. Be sure to check out our channel for more content. :-)

[@mohammedsajidshareef8995]

Support their work by subscribing and sharing this good piece of information

[@pvenoob]

Subscribed a long time ago. Liked every one of your videos that I watched. Bad ass truth tellers. Keep up the good work DW!

[@castro2324ap]

This is what real journalism looks like

[@abhipan0077]

By paying 17.5 euros per month😉

[@Kelvinllovejr]

Man DW really goes to great lengths to bring us these documentaries. Thanks so much

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching and sharing your positive feedback:)

[@Kelvinllovejr]

@DW Documentary I've watched like 1000 docs already haha. Keep em comin.

[@nagamaheshjanigarla8211]

The time that you have invested to film this and share with us is greatly rewarded. Lots of respect from INDIA 🇮🇳. Thanks alot for your hard work. In India the food products were purchased by brokers from farmers at 25% of the market price and then they simply bag them and add 75% and sell. Let's say 100 kilo of beans baught for 2500INR from former end user will pay 100 INR per kilo which is 10000 INR per 100 kilo. The government is least conserned and when we try to report somewhere we will be beaten up by police. It's my humble request for DW documentaries, if possible please film these issues in India and post them on your channel.. please....

[@kanishkdahiya3259]

Zee news should make one

[@kristiant96]

The quality of documentaries DW produces is outstanding everything from the pronunciations of words to the quality of the video is incredible. Please don't stop working and i sincerely hope that your documentaries have some even if little changes.

[@Professor-Scientist]

@H P really? how is it propaganda?

[@Riiiisc]

@@Professor-Scientist all news should be taken with a grain of salt, especially when it comes from a large corporation. You should compare news from different sources and make up who is right.

[@MBB563]

@@Professor-Scientist climate change propaganda, it's a religious channel. Designed to indoctrine you into worshipping this new global neo paganism climate humanist religion. Every story on DW has a climate change theme or message. Sadly it's working, as people thru their own arrogant image dismiss GOD, or the concept of GOD, but easily lean towards this garbage. Stories like this make Germans feel better, and have a greater purpose, a purpose that fuels their arrogance of superior living bc they care for the environment or sustainable living.

[@timothymccarthy8090]

NWO elite trigger words Sustainability inclusiveness equity When ever someone says these words run the other way.

[@kristiant96]

Tinfoil hat country in the response, can't believe I was one of you couple of years ago lol.

[@KayELStanbryd]

To be honest, i did not searched for this. But i'm not regretting.

[@susanworrall7052]

Same here! I wasn't looking for this documentary but I was totally riveted to it! Great piece of journalism! You suddenly find out the REAL price of the product!

[@imaenoch40]

Same here

[@Vrin137]

Same here! I'm in need of new summer tires and best time to buy is end of summer then this doc got suggested!

[@MrCozin-kd9mb]

Same here

[@grantandrews8458]

U nd I both

[@aPakistanZone]

The essence of investigative journalism found in this documentary. Big applaud for this effort to expose the agony behind tyres business. Almost all the big businesses have same dilemma.

[@pvcdperera69]

I am a Sri Lankan, same story in my country. Not only the workers in Rubber sector but also Tea, Coffee, Spices and coconut plantation workers have been working since colonial times under harsh conditions, backed then Britain made humongous profits ever since British has left US, Europeans and China have been working collectively and making huge profits. Literally peanuts to the farmers, landlords and Sri Lanka. Many thanks to your channel 🙏

[@jaikumarjadhav6575]

Hearing the 80 year old man say that he's been working for 50 years, I collapsed myself into thinking, I take a lot of things in my life for granted.

[@JZH10000]

I mean that would imply he only started work at age 30

[@SteveTheFazeman]

@@JZH10000, You're right. Having just gone over that segment again, the old man said he has worked at that plantation for 50 years.

[@v4l187]

No hes worked more of his life but 50 years at that plantation

[@Sporkmaker5150]

He must be tired.

[@BalboaBaggins]

Don't worry, the guy will die with good karma and be welcomed by his angels, unlike the greedy people in this business, whoever they are.

[@B0SS330]

I love how they won't allow them to film the factory, so they send up a drone instead :)

[@capespring]

don't worry, the factory doesn't own any Stinger missile.

[@ReeferSmoker]

@@DaveSCameron what did you not understand exactly? Do I really need to explain the joke to you?

[@drmodestoesq]

@@ReeferSmoker Well, he did name himself confused.

[@ReeferSmoker]

@@drmodestoesq fair point

[@penonton4260]

@@capespring no worries they have gun if drone come to close with factory . no drone no video.

[@WeekndPhotographers]

Thanks for this video, DW. I am Cambodian, after watching this video I felt really bad for my people who work in Thailand and also in my country too. I can say I was lucky coz most of the people in my village work in Thailand, but my parents sent me to study instead of working abroad. I never imagined that the working conditions were really bad.

[@ioma6]

God bless your parents.

[@marcusvieira3032]

Your reporting was very well done. It was a very hard report to watch at times because of the harsh reality of the rubber workers. Thai and Cambodian people are some of the kindest most generous people I have met. I hope this report helps fight for these hard working wonderful people. Thank you

[@robertoaguiar6230]

Perfectly executed. Started with a relatable need, studied the problems behind it, showed different sides of the story, found an alternative and verified the viability of that alternative. This is informative content.

[@Minuz1]

@kkthxk They are cheaper....by a large margin....they are basically using 80% of the already manufactured tyre and just resurfacing the parts that wear down. I had before this thought that they were of less quality and would have frowned upon them. I guess that is a mentality I have changed by watching this video.

[@sackblubberd7750]

Informative yes but true?

[@Xenstein]

But I dont have a clue about what brand of tires is the refurbished ones... :(

[@michac3796]

@@sackblubberd7750 What leaves you beg the differ?

[@sackblubberd7750]

@@michac3796 the nature of truth

[@dannystewart1412]

I work in the tire industry and believe me when I tell you that the shop selling you your tires makes practically nothing on the tires. They survive on the labor charges for installation. The manufacturers are making all the profits.

[@jaymax9560]

But we have free installation.

[@FCT8306onTwoWheels]

10 years in a car dealership, and yeah they make little if any money on tires

[@AS7352]

Depends where, north of Europe, the tire prices are extra 20eur or more expensive than central Europe, and you still pay for installation. I can buy online and get it shipped for less than locally. Same for other goods

[@loysanpera]

@@AS7352 Depends the tire brand, i order mine from Germany to scandinavia and the tires are A LOT cheaper there than local.

[@dzenan.m]

In Bosnia (Europe) tire montage/install is free if you buy tires at the same shop

[@jobplace5842]

real ballsy to fly a drone over the factory that you just spied on and followed the truck of, good journalism!

[@iamraphjjo8615]

First of all love the flow of information, especially on how they started with something seamingly as family vacation and actually ending it with same family vacation. It gave me the knowledge of wanting to know more about some of the little things in life. Thanks DW for the proper investigative journalism

[@dreadog6425]

That was quite disturbing especially when you consider how much tires cost today. I suspect none of my money made it to those workers.

[@SgtJoeSmith]

greedy unions putting the tires on your car

[@jaimerosero7457]

All the tire industry are full of crooks very CORRUPT, gangster mafiosy criminals!!! , The same applies to most huge corps, they only worry about their bellies a nothing else!!!.... Soon Mashiach will come to fix all of this corruption going on without end.

[@Marttyy]

end consumer price is 2x or 3x higher than production cost. 15inch tire production cost in asia is 10-18euro a piece.

[@nickkings2220]

Joe Smith & Friends Network I think he means the cost of the tires themselves, the labor cost is what I assume you're talking about. Pro tip, work on your own car.

[@bremCZ]

@@Marttyy Retailer gross profit is only about 20% though.

[@destituteanddecadent9106]

I'm Japanese. I went to school with one of the sons of the Bridgestone CEO. So crazy to see how this misconduct has been going on in my circles (I know not to expect much from global conglomerates but) this whole time. It has made me feel shitty about "my people", but it's miles better than blissful ignorance. Thank you DW.

[@MoAli-wm4of]

I’ll always love Japan for drifting and putting out such good stuff .. both products, techniques and all the amazing pro and amateur JP drivers who set the bar and provide an example for ppl aspiring to improve, all over the world … I’m in BK NYC but I know ppl from NY to Cali to London to Pakistan who all love and are heavily influenced by Japanese car culture … I can say it’s changed the whole trajectory of my life as I work in the Auto repair industry to earn a living … and most of my activities outside of work or family revolves around drift cars and drifting as much as possible … it’s def not a cheap hobby tho, I can say with certainty that id have been able to buy a second/vacation property with all the money I’ve put into drift cars … but my wife doesn’t know that or else she would kill me … I do often feel guilty about hiding this from her, but hey atleast I’m not cheating or blowing money on liquor or coke, gambling .. ie it could be worse, or am I just justifying it lol …

[@XanderProduction]

🤔 I dont know why, but I hear that my local producer of tire simply keep producing tire, but getting little profit every year.. PT Gajah Tunggal, Indonesia Is that their margin is really low?

[@TobeornottooB]

@@MoAli-wm4of l9l

[@Rattlerjake1]

@@XanderProduction - It' the same tune in ALL corporations, big business, and governments ---- GREED! Anytime they are questioned they ALWAYS have an excuse why it's not their fault. You'll find that the wealthier a person is, the more they still want - greed i NEVER satisfied. Why is it that these businesses can't skim just 1/2% off of their profits and have special representatives who would travel to each of these communities and pass out some basic necessities?

[@SirCamsmorethanalot]

best tires made in Japan.

[@leifapag8426]

You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. Thank you for great journalism and exposing the corruption in the tire industry. Thank you for great work.

[@AngelofDeath2All]

And I feel so guilty. Just purchased a set of tires for $750 and now knowing how much the tree sap harvesters get paid.... I feel bad. Awesome journalism, straight to the point, Awesome job.

[@josephmanojk2344]

Reporter: can I film? Company: no Reporter: Hold my hidden camera 🤣

[@jonnamustonen6751]

They always use a hidden camera! You’d think companies would be smarter by now

[@mousetoad7040]

@@jonnamustonen6751 most are, that's why they had to look so hard to find one that let them in...

[@magnumllama400]

How does he hide a camera?

[@thesonie]

@@magnumllama400 spy camars

[@suliichan]

@@magnumllama400 bruh, never watched a movie about spies and how they can hide a camera on their buttons?

[@rungsakthongmuk8538]

I was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. I don’t have any word to say. Thank you for a good documentary.🇹🇭

[@jum5238]

The documenter does more before 10 am (and his vacation) than even the US Army! Nice video. Thanks!

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching.

[@nicolaopazzo]

I follow regularly DW for outstanding documentaries. Big thank you. More awareness i certainly needed on many issues.....

[@cmorebutts7337]

i remember when 60 minutes was this good at documentaries. bravo.

[@itrthho]

And Frontline

[@yobingsaurora755]

“Sustainability” has to be the most hypocritical word of our time.

[@briansumner2700]

You said it man

[@E39M5SPEED]

💯

[@jorgebriceno173]

in what way?

[@sconescrewdriverson]

Or hollow.

[@jimtekkit]

Manufacturers don't care about sustainability or ethics because profits is everything.

[@bigofano1794]

After 25 years as an over the road trucker, the best recap tires are unreliable and dangerous. As you can see the caps shedding on our roads and the hazards they produce, I would never allow my friends or family to ride on recap tires. U.S. DOT regulations do not allow recaps on steer axles. There is a reason for this.

[@munguci12]

Watching this classic documentary from Uganda - Africa. It breaks my heart seeing that the real farmers in such a sorry state. Yet some of us far on the tyre supply and consumer chain are reaping from the sweat of those sorry farmers. Not fair!

[@adeadgirl13]

"Dad, we want to go on vacation!" "Alright, let me quickly go to Thailand and Cambodia to find out which tires to buy and then we'll go on a road trip."

[@MrSamadolfo]

✈️☺️✈️

[@explorehunter]

I was as about to make the same comment, but with a slight twist 🤣

[@tirkentube]

i was gonna make the same comment

[@paullemke5915]

He went for the Thai boys!

[@aniruddhajog]

So rather than understanding what the documentary is all about you have to make a smart ass comment! Typical Indian selfish attitude, think what you leave for the future u kids would be living in one.

[@divakarbogapurapu223]

everyone watching this from the comfort of their homes should be grateful for how fortunate they are

[@maifantasia3650]

I'm watching this propaganda piece from the comfort of my Thai rubber plantation. Yes, I own a plantation that grows rubber, rice (during the wet season), cassava (during the dry season) and palm oil. I call this a propaganda piece as I also employ Cambodian and Myanmarese workers (many of them are undocumented, illegal, immigrants that I assist in getting all of their paperwork in order to become legal workers). They are not forced to work, they come willingly. I also house them (free of charge), provide them meals (free of charge), bus their children to the local school (free of charge) AND ensure that their immigration and employment documentation is valid and up-to-date (free of charge). In fact, all of the plantations around this area do the same. If these Cambodian workers are being so oppressed and exploited (as this, so called, documentary suggests), they are free to work elsewhere or return to their own country. Why don't they leave? They CHOOSE to work on Thai plantations and in our construction industry as they are earning and living far better than they ever could in their own country! Why didn't the documentary mention any of this? Oh, because it wouldn't have been so 'sensational,' that's why. (The documentary also failed to point out that these immigrant workers are stealing Thai jobs but that's a topic for another day.) Then again, when it comes to South East Asian affairs, we have grown used to Westerners 'exploiting' our lives in order to make money from myopic, skewed, ill-informed, biased 'documentaries.'

[@therickibobby4865]

@@maifantasia3650 Ok so everything is fake in this documentary because a random clown like you say so.

[@maifantasia3650]

@@therickibobby4865 - a random clown, like me, that owns and runs a rubber plantation in Thailand and knows the truth. I am not a sensationalist propaganda 'mockumentary' producer making money from misinformation. Your ad hominem attack tells me a lot about you and the way you bury your head in the sand to hide from the truth.

[@natehayes82]

I'm watching from my pile of old tires I have people chop up into playground cover. They enjoy the work and I make a decent pay

[@rayp4719]

Then lets help each other

[@ijlala3799]

this is some good documentary. totally going above and beyond with the production

[@andyb5187]

A brilliant insight into the tyre supply industry. Thanks for a great documentary.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thank you for watching!

[@Saa-ti4lu]

Many thanks!😍😍😍

[@samanya_manus]

That's world class reporting. It was informative, enlightening and impacting. Way to go guys..... Keep it up 👍

[@terryofford4977]

THis item is the best and most honest I have seen/witnessed. I have worked in South East Asia Singapore and Mamaya (before it became Malaysia,) I have spent time on a number of small estates,and in Singapore,the last estate I visited and photographed was on a small island off Singapore's main island. Pulau Bukum where a small estate existed. I often spent days there watching the operations,from tapping to seeing sheets of the semi processed rubber produced. It was operated ina very careful and thoughtful manner, I had met the owners and the tappers and the mena and women in the small processing plant. The Ribber Sheets of Latex produced on the island were taken by Boat to Paya Lebar where the the rubber was 'smoked in huge Hangar type buildings,prior to being sent toUK's Rubber factories operated by DUNLOP. Rubber Estates in Malaya (as it was) were well operated and I witnessed the living areas of the planters,tappers and factory staff.This was in the fifties and sixties, everyone seemed happy and were being paid adequate wages, UNLIKE today 's sheer greed which extends from the Direction of today's Rubber companies as witnessed on this excellent item,Cambodia and its people are being raped,no other words describe iy similarly the Thais, since the village people are simplybeing robbed of their heritage.land and housing and in return they work16 to18 hour days for what amounts to peanuts. II blame the Big Men at the head of the foreign corporations who couldn't give a damn for human life,and the sheer greed and connivance of the mainly CHINA CHINESE Overseers who are rife in the industry In Cambodia and to a slightly lesser extent in Thailand,it is high time governments of the nations took heed but then of course, the men at the top are a part of the whole. Totally sickening to see from top to bottom.Slavery, especially in Cambodia is rife as conditions there are extremely primitive.Thailnd is equally sickening but is marginally better. The task undertajen by the makers of this amazing Film did a wonderful job, I admire their exposure of this disgusting slavery.

[@sarthakjoshi9824]

Moral of the story - Control your desires for materialistic stuff as much as we can try to use recycled goods because remember some one is working in poverty and slavery because of us.

[@paytmguru5662]

😂

[@majorchungus]

If we stopped buying this rubber, they would get nothing. Something is better than nothing. I don't like their working situation either.

[@m11nt]

@@majorchungus That's one of the worst advice.

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

Oh shut the hell Ive notice POOR WITH NO F WORK BECOMING MORAL POLICE GO BACK TO REDDIT FEEL GUILT FOR BEIN RICH REMEMBER SOMEONE SLAVE OVER YOUR APPLICATION TO WHERE EVERY YOU LANDED BE THANKFUL 🖤🇨🇦

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

Moral of f story No white or black In service industry in Vancouver. you give them job...then in 20 years buy own franchise But never give back One day i notice first job in high school for young is all gone 100 % INDIANS ALL GAS STATIONS ALL FAST FOOD U NOT INDIAN DONT APPLY THANK NON FASTFOOD KEEP THAT AWAY CONSIDER I LIVE IN UPPITY AREA & DO HAVE$$$$ all i see when you spend "I could feed whole village what he wager daily on sports🤔🤔

[@randolphtorres4172]

There was a pollution experiment done in LA to answer what is the biggest polluter is. It was found that tire rubber was number one. An issue I have with tires is they are engineered to degrade far quicker. Fact is tires can last for 30 years with hard use. I discovered this fact while working on a ranch in 1973, the owner purchased many used military vehicles that had tires on them from WW 2. The soil was extremely abrasive but these tires still had years of usage left, after 30 years.

[@ianbishop5033]

Low speed helps. You can’t have an extremely hard compound on asphalt as they won’t produce the grip needed. So, they are made considerably softer.

[@ashukundra8444]

These documentaries are really eye opening and I am learning so much every day . Dank je wel

[@ilynpayne7491]

I feel sorry for the elderly couple man they live miserable 😢

[@langatemmanuel7359]

Too sad even having worked for over 50 years..The level of poverty is appalling!

[@casadelshed9128]

Most of the material in tyres is a nitrile rubber, which is a by product of oil refining industry. But tyres still need a proportion of natural rubber as a part of the tyre compound.

[@AgentSmith911]

That's what I thought. Maybe one day the tires can be made with less natural rubber.

[@zachdancy5828]

Which is Exsctly what is actually being discussed here. The part of the industry exploiting humans.

[@SickPrid3]

@@zachdancy5828 "part of the industry" more like "every industry"

[@brianstansberry2487]

Man I don't know how long ago it's been since you made this video but I'm glad you're bringing awareness to this this is crazy the tire tire companies ought to be ashamed of yourself for what they do to these people same old never big tire company they are in small company for these people to be starving to death and no place to live in the conditions they had to be working in its terrible my heart goes out to him may God bless those people well and again thank you sir for bringing attention to this

[@johndoyle4723]

Thank you for raising awareness,I did not know, even though I was involved in the tyre shredding for cement kilns.

[@KazMogi]

"He should by no means be working without protective clothing, in shorts, but no one has told him that." I hope someone ended up telling him that.

[@drpicmeup]

Right! When he said "but no-one has told him that" I said "did YOU tell him that??" Like wtf say something

[@l337pwnage]

Well, do be fair, someone smart enough to figure that out won't work at a tire plant, and if you force him to wear it, even then he might not comply very often.

[@norbertzimpfer7548]

I have lived in Indonesia and you can't tell them anything about what might be harming them. They just smile and go on with their way.

[@41357500]

hes a man..........not a snowlflake sweetie

[@lucasliew4924]

@@41357500 Exactly, just a man. A mere mortal. Not a demigod or self-healing mutant from the X-men.

[@JohnSmith-wy2or]

When I was growing up in the U. S. back in the 1950s using retread tires was common. We had good results with them. Our house was built with used lumber in 1918. It was common practice then when a house was torn down to use the lumber to build another one. I'm still living in that house. Everything was bartered, handed down, or used up. We have gotten away from that ethic of conservation and frugality. That's why Earth is choked with its own refuse now.

[@drbud7257]

Very right

[@raybin6873]

Glass soda & beer bottles were reused - as well as milk bottles...as a kid I would collect soda bottles for the deposit - 3 cents for 12 oz...5 cents for 32 oz - (1960's)

[@aquariussoda007]

it has become a throwaway society , recycling timber stops the felling of other trees .

[@pontiuspilates]

I live in so-called Eastern Europe. 30-20 years ago many people were poorer and naturally very frugal here too. Reusing same wood, nails, metals were common practice. But today, throwaway culture took over and my generation thinks of it as stupid and retrograde. It's sad.

[@frankleiva6272]

"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." ~Aristotle

[@muthukumaranl]

Another flawless piece from before...thank you so much DW team! I wish retread tires are mandated everywhere in the world....may be even treated like EVs and given tax breaks because for all intents & purposes they achieve the same outcome...thank you for opening my eye to this.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@alextrotman2743]

Well done and thank you for showing this .

[@siegmac3267]

My parents are rubber planters in the Philippines. 5 years ago, price went down like lift going underground level. After that, many people in my place cut theirs and changed it into other plants. As the tyre industry boasts its good business, people who produce natural products are going down. As they say, keep people poor, and make rich richer.

[@ChallengeTheNarrative]

Yes. That is done by design. 💷😔

[@sjgee4309]

I'm so sorry to hear your family is dealing with this 😥

[@MrRichard57000]

hope they improve the salary andworking conditions fast......

[@jmccaffery1]

@Vassal Colony by unionizing and creating a financial incentive for organized labor to become a voting block?

[@Kannot2023]

Tire producers are trying to reduce consumption of natural tires, they try to use dandelion sap to replace havea brasiliensis sap. On the long term, I don't think that producing natural rubber will be growing business

[@ZeidGho]

"Bangkok is the center of the rubber trade" Yep

[@MrCuckoobox]

In more ways than one.

[@Raymanujan]

More like Pattaya

[@cigarsgunsandgasoline8032]

Giggity

[@firedup692]

And the rubber there come on all sorts of patterns.

[@rkgaustin9043]

Came in to say this. Found my work already done. Leaving satisfied.

[@ramvelavarthi5321]

Great journalism. Thanks to KZbin algorithm for recommending this to me. After seeing this, I start to appreciate my life how lucky I am in comparison to these factory workers. I wish God give them prosperity and happiness to those families

[@DWDocumentary]

Thank you, Ram, for watching! Be sure to check out our channel for more content. :-)

[@lewildknight9864]

DW is great, it's one of the only sources I can get mostly unbiased news from as an American.

[@iamnotamushroom2880]

Cheap labor is the engine that runs business.

[@rifleman42051]

IKR hence AI and automation!!!

[@Mrbfgray]

It's the cheap thoughtless version, disruption, innovation and productivity are vastly more effective.

[@Jimmy4video]

Also the destruction of natural resources.

[@bobbymanganaro]

@Jay american? Half the companies they listed were Chinese German or Japanese. All countries take advantage your hate of america is skewing your hearing.

[@danielong3116]

Capitalism at work baby :)

[@medialinktv5983]

There is a disconnect somewhere,that's why in a billion dollar industry the ppl in the lower part of the chain are living in abject poverty. While the ppl at the top of the chain manipulates the prices to their own advantage..the world we live in.

[@1plus11000]

That's only human and btw, it is called GREED.

[@NaturalMystic69]

One word...Exploitation.

[@cyzcyt]

Welcome to late stage capitalism

[@zafarsaed3862]

Hats off to Mr. Michael for such an awesome report on Tyres. I have made up my mind to buy Retread tyres from now on.

[@RSLtreecare]

Very revealing. A very well made documentary. I did a study, many years ago. I looked at the spray of water based pollution from tires. The spray from traffic on roads, the first study didn't work out well, so I changed to look for the effect of Salt used as a de-icing agent. This worked. I run into lots of issues with the tires manufacturers...

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@tolgaakyay]

Reporter: Rubber prices dropped by 50%. How does this affect your prices? Continental: Yes!

[@shwetapandeybanda1838]

Rubber prices are not only cost component in a tyre, better study it's manufacturing, raw rubber prices doesn't always affects prices too much as raw rubber is not wholly used to make car tyres. It's just a small part so even rubber prices drops by 90 percent there will not be substantially drop in prices except airplane tyres which uses most natural rubber for their construction.

[@animepro4841]

LOL hahaha

[@icare752]

My tire today 10/23/2019 is 122.00 US dollars,,, it doesn't matter how much rubber prices drop to the consumer, because it will always be 122 dollars. What a racket.

[@NikoBellaKhouf]

@@thisnametooktolong what was your problem with his comment? It's true, prices don't drop for consumers.

[@NikoBellaKhouf]

@@thisnametooktolong you only make twice the average? That's still not that great lol. Good for you though being content with that. I really don't get what the rest of your rant is about or how it relates to tire prices. You didn't pay attention to my flag before spewing all of that nonsense? Tire prices haven't gone down. I would know considering how many I purchase for my fleet every year.

[@DharunKalarani]

There is a sense of happiness in me after watching this video. Kudos to the brave journalists for their efforts and risks taken. Now I feel to support independent journalism financially as much as possible.

[@TILKESHBHADALA]

That's how some people make money while some are left to their misery. Kudos to the man and the DW for their efforts to bring such information and facts in broad daylight.

[@gameofthronesseason8istras215]

Apple tech company it's even worse 😒 SMH

[@familylopes7230]

Thank you! This is really eye opening!

[@SenorBolsa]

This guy about to go on a family vacation "hold up I just gotta make a quick stop in thailand and cambodia first"

[@londonoxfordstreet]

Environment / Climate Control is new Western Tool to keep their Control over the World Resources - Hidden Agenda!

[@singhtheking6346]

@@londonoxfordstreet I had also been thinking the same.. Why the rich countries are so concerned about climate change when they are the only ones to pollute earth the most.

[@MrDamodee]

🤣🤣🤣 I thought that...I don't know where cambodia was at first! Seriously this has opened my eyes and I'll be considering my options when I need new tyres for sure.

[@yehmustafa2959]

I have to jet around the world to learn about tire sustainability.

[@TUBESPECIFIC1]

That's the convenience of jet travel though it's not as fast and comfortable as we wish we had for it's still the 1960's, but with an element of eye opening increasing fear factor so it's not a fun jet like we'd hope for. I guess the age of funjet vacations is clearly over except the richy financial elite will free themselves at the great expense of everyone else. When travel was unrestricted to the masses of tourists and, 'backpackers,' on the banana pancake trail, the big deception was that the world was a fully global emerging democracy with hope and glory for all of humanity, but something was clearly off. Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Myanmar couldn't keep a big secret going as if nothing was wrong for absolute power of dictators corrupted and ruined it for everyone. I don't think I'd make a quick stop over there anytime soon again for that's just so awkward and likely becoming dangerous to visit and look at. Instead of viewing America as the leader and super power, they're eyeing red China as the new lord of savior to rule them all which of course is also owned and controlled by that really rich evil master of puppets.

[@sjgee4309]

Meanwhile, the retail prices on tires haven't dropped.

[@kap1526]

right!! if anything it went up. and im sure this has to do with gas prices as well.. supply, demand, etc

[@MasterChief-sl9ro]

Yes it has. The problem is tires got bigger on Vehicles. So you pay more for the product. As you use more of the resources to make just one.

[@raylocke282]

remember when tires lasted 8000 miles.?Now we can get 40k miles plus.

[@notpoliticallycorrect4774]

Not much latex in a tire to make much difference.

[@rodneyhull9764]

sod their conditions i demand cheap tyres !

[@wolfgangh.7027]

It is really shocking to see how people, as well as nature are exploited for our prosperity. Thank you for this report. By the way, has someone estimated the pollution that is caused by abrasion of tyres?

[@iamnormal8648]

I always say that GDP is misleading. No wealth is actually created. If the environmental degradation was valued we'll have negative or zero GDP for the world.

[@michaellinner7772]

Tires actually contribute more to greenhouse gas emissions than the engine that runs the vehicle.

[@Anonymous-rr6zr]

You are right bro. Development of a country is necessary but destroying the nature with chemicals for the sake of profit is not humane.

[@brucemontgomery8136]

ty for sharing this information- i’m going to look for more ( maybe you could have provided) info on the retreading process.. ty again

[@eiglehawk]

This happened in every industrial sector, farmer who suffer the most, our society needs major changes,

[@thebridge5483]

It’s always the little guy that suffers

[@DAZZER435]

Will that change ever come though, that is the question.

[@mohammed3529]

This documentary was an eye opener!! Thank you for exploring this..the truthful things to be shared to the whole world from your channel.. Wishing you best of luck!!

[@johnmacdonald353]

Used to work at Michelin plant in Canada...they told us they used to own rubber plantations to control costs/increase profits.. sold plantations because of being associated with slave labor.. but now continue to control raw product price. company is from France.. hard work for average pay here also..... I say boycott Michelin!!

[@masnandansheensinghtoor6228]

Thank you for being so brave DW. May you continue to cover such real happening stories.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thank you for watching and commenting. We appreciate it.

[@jamesmather9990]

Brilliant documentary. Well done and shame on the large companies who wouldnt give interviews

[@TommeeNabong]

Gotta love that ending. Let's talk about the daily struggle of the rubber farmers life while I go on a family vacation

[@stevelozano9523]

In the process, spend all sorts of money to visit these country's on how poor they work to make my tires I might consider? How rich of him.

[@hedonisthobbyist707]

And don’t forget that they piled into a 2019 BMW 750i...

[@AB-sr9mc]

so better he skips vacation this year in remembrance of the struggling farmers. well in that case you better skip your vacation too as you are also aware of the struggle

[@jhfdhgvnbjm75]

OK, what have YOU done? did you sell your car? choose retread tyres? join greenpeace? save the wales? Oxfam? what?

[@aboyd1988]

How would choosing to allow his family to live in poverty provide any justice for those people? He educated us on an injustice going on and he changed how he uses his money to effect change where he can. He has also influenced me on something I haven't even considered until now. He may have done a lot more than that for all we know.

[@robertfrisbie4785]

Very Educational Video, and thank you for showing even the folks that drive the well-marketed so-called "green vehicles" like that of: Telsa, Toyota Prius, Chevy Volt & Bolt, Nissan Leaf, Mercedes Benz EQC, BMW i3 Audi Q6, Porsche Taycan, etc. are truly not sustainable after all, nor true green. Hopefully somebody like yourself can do a video on how Lithium Batteries are produced. GREAT JOB!!!

[@99ron30]

Yup, it would be interesting to see where all of those electric and hybrid car battery minerals, chemicals and rare earth elements are mined and produced. And calculate how much energy is required to manufacture and ship everything, and then calculate if the current electric infrastructure could cope if everyone switches to pure electric cars. And then give stats of how much electricity is produced by fossil fuels and nuclear and how much is from solar, wind, hydro etc. Maybe then people would realise that the guy with the 2004 diesel 4x4 is actually greener than the guy with a new Nissan leaf.

[@fordcabriogt]

nothing except geo thermal and nuclear is green energy and we'll always need oil so people dreaming about a world without oil are delusional

[@mgportraits]

Amazing documentary! BRAVO!!!

[@Kelvinllovejr]

Very nice doc. I always try to think of the impact with the things I do.

[@dennishanson9529]

Thank you for showing the terrible conditions the workers have to endure. A truly sad story.

[@JUrtanschannel]

I hope they make part 2 of this, especially focusing on old tires.. It is really dirty business!

[@khadrtrudeau1662]

Old tires are used as road bed. They have become very valuable.

[@Emin3m1986]

Or resell in Eastern Europe...

[@campkira]

Tires.... it is dirty what do you expect? I had my car in thailand but some tire they had to ship to be made oversea and ship back for my car...

[@LeonardoM21]

Great piece of reporting. Thank you!

[@kevinoreilly4172]

Shocking. I never even considered this. Thank you for this story.

[@blackscotydog]

These poor people make so little yet one Michelin tire for my ford truck cost 225.00 usd. WTF?

[@MrSingh-uv3jc]

Yeah sucks. I had to pay 480/ tyre for continental.

[@king49334]

Lot of middle man

[@fryloc359]

Theres rubber, oil, carbon black, sulfur, and other ingredients that make up rubber. Then theres the steel and polyester or nylon that also go into tires. Of course you also have to transport that rubber to the factories, where it is mixed, extruded, formed, assembled, and cured. After all that it gets transported to tire stores where you buy them. So yeah, theres a shitload of labor and energy that goes into keeping stores stocked with tires.

[@deplorabledave1048]

My Michelin Pilot 4s are $250 each. I buy them 80% life used for 150 or less. Lots of SILICA, CARBON, steel, and petroleum based rubber in high end tires.

[@mike_nolan]

Taxes and tariffs. They'd be 50 bucks a pop without so many hands trying to pull as much money out of the industry as possible.

[@harshgw23k]

Watching the 80yr old couple painfully working for their 2 meals a day is the most heart wrenching thing I have ever seen 😣

[@Battlebunny07]

Do you know the same situation happening in India too. Just check how MRF exploiting rubber farmers in Kerala and NE. High value of MRF share is the blood of poor farmers.

[@tunisiangladiator6509]

Thanks for showing this! Really sad

[@vinatechcoy]

I wish your valuable research reaches more viewers.

[@meniver]

Me: checking for low price on my new set of tires. German Guy: checking if rubber trees are healthy.

[@karunsharma6703]

This is the what the real Journalism is all about. Indian media and its journalism should learn from it

[@jorgevaldivia7482]

peru media should learn too :c

[@yashsinghrathore9615]

What’s your opinion on Republic media wala MADHARCH**??

[@mooseforever4035]

Indian media is just screaming and shouting. Lol

[@junii741]

Arey Indian media nahi sudrega ,

[@USSR413]

@@junii741 change overnight nahi hoga

[@hemprasadgogoi5081]

Congratulations to a such heart touching documentary. Sad for hard life behind a luxurious,soft and comfortable journey on wheels all over the world including sky. It is a true feelings story for human and technology at same time. Thanks from Assam,India

[@tnatdanai]

Thank you DW for making the film. It's very clear how this industry makes money and how it affects to living quality of the workers behind.

[@tudorrenegade7052]

7:44 It's amazing how these poor people talk about hard life conditions with a smile on their face. Where is all the anxiety of the modern world ?

[@NoNORADon911]

5000 Baht= $164 a month TOPS that they make per month....

[@illidur]

@@NoNORADon911 Cost of living is just as low though.

[@AAAAAA-tn5xi]

So true

[@klokangeorge4005]

They do mostly natural work, but exhaustingly long. Mostly have no more smiles, after many ears of almost nil. They die after 50y.

[@shibinsreedhar.k]

Saw this documentary accidentally, but DW earned my subscription with this factual piece of info!

[@paullawrence8075]

I am glad you guys exposed the way the people condition was in Thailand working to produce rubber to make tires. Thanks for the video, footage and some if the stories you shared. Stay safe and GOD bless.

[@Bayoustate2011]

2 years later I want to know how the family vacation went? What a cliff hanger. Great journalism!

[@falanqeeye5106]

This is wonderful piece of journalism. Thank you for becoming voice for the voiceless in both cambodia and thailand. The reality will always be the rich gets richer at the expense of the poor.

[@kercchan3307]

this journalist is a idiot, he doesnt even cover what percentage of natural vs synthetic rubber goes into tires, he caused more co2 emissions by flying and driving all the world then it would take to make many tires. I wonder is this idiot even did any research into how things are made and how it effects tire performance. At this time last i checked you cannot re vulcanize rubber that has already been through the vulcanize process.

[@CarsSupercars]

Another excellent documentary by DW. Feel bad for the rubber plantation workers...the brokers are bad in the supply chain. If farmers are connected to businesses then the life of workers & farmers will improve.

[@AznTony360]

Promothash Boruah yep, brokers are the middle man. Like retail stores. Which is why many companies started to only sell online to remove the middle man. Only one can hope the latex industry will be able to get out of it.

[@davidlguerr]

It is going to be the same. Because the plantation's owner will get all the profit, and pay miserably to those people anyway. The big problem in those countries is corruption, anyone can pay below the minimum wage and get away with it.

[@AznTony360]

@@davidlguerr Not necessarily, conditions should improve even if it's slightly better.

[@CarsSupercars]

@@davidlguerr Rubber production is highest in Thailand followed by Indonesia, China and India. If we delete the middlemen the farmers will get more and the workers will be much better condition then now. I don't think that there lives will become difficult then present day. Yes, there's corruption in the above countries. At times Multinational corporations take control of corruption and do lobbing to support it.

[@randynelson6628]

Brokers keep the market efficient and prevent dramatic price volatility. They obviously fill a niche, otherwise they wouldn't exist.

[@gachzedek]

Wow. This was excellent, and deeply human.

[@Drsanjay85]

DW make best documentaries. Keep up the good work guys.

[@pinkelephants1421]

I sincerely hope that this documentary will reach a greater audience than that of KZbin, namely be shown on television in multiple languages/countries & preferably during prime time viewing.

[@davidjacobs8558]

I doubt even if that happened, that would make much difference or change anything. most people know that workers in iphone factories in China jump to their death all the time, but they don't care.

[@nitishdhakal1]

This is yet another beautiful documentary from DW. Before this I didn’t know or asked myself how tires were produced. I think every product we use today has to have a blockchain token attached to it so that anyone who is concerned about sustainability would know where and how the item has come to our possession. This will also enable workers to get fair wage .

[@sibusisodlamini7598]

I hope something is done because this is not right

[@nathan40307]

Exactly what would you do with this information? Not put tires on your car?

[@ooee8088]

Like we did with fair trade coffee

[@wrongfullyaccused7139]

NITISH; Please give a clear, concise, accurate, definition of what constitutes a "fair wage"? Giver your response free of empty rhetoric, and communist propaganda talking points. I await your delivery.

[@ChristianTonnies]

Well done DW. Brilliant as always

[@juliew.2165]

Thorough, informative report, very interesting. Thanks for your endeavor & all those who cooperated.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks a lot for watching and for your positive feedback, Julie. We appreciate you taking the time to comment and are glad you liked the documentary! :)

[@us3734]

Never going to buy a new tyre from now. Thank you for incredible information. May God bless poor workers and our environment.

[@HardcoreNaturalFitness]

Sure%

[@safari338]

Wow had no idea on the impacts of tires. Definitely gonna try to get my tires retreaded when the time comes. Thanks for the good journalism👍

[@UltimateAlgorithm]

Is this legal? Most rethreaded tires are for slow moving vehicle. They're also more prone to failures.

[@unitforce7417]

@@UltimateAlgorithm yeah in germany theyre totally legal and safe

[@ricky23boy]

Solid end to end view.. great report

[@AzlyAbu]

Thank you DW!