During a journey to the South of Thailand, Rozanne Henzen, former Sasin Researcher and Case Writer, stumbled upon a surprising revelation: the trees lining the roadside were rubber trees. Delving into research on the rubber industry in Thailand, she discovered that many plantations in the country were dominated by these trees, primarily utilized in tire production. Thailand is a significant global rubber producer, with the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT) reporting a production of 4.9 million tons of natural rubber in 2022. In May 2023, the European Parliament adopted the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), with a new rule that seven commodity products, including soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa, coffee, and rubber, will no longer be sold in the EU if sourced in countries areas affected by deforestation or forest degradation. As rubber was one of the commodities, Michelin, a global tire and rubber manufacturing company was required to trace the origins of its natural rubber to specific farms, providing geo-localization coordinates and proof of land legality. However, the challenge was that over 85% of the global natural rubber supply is supplied by approximately 6 million smallholder farmers, who lacked proper land titles, access to geo-localization coordinates, or the capacity and resources needed to meet the EUDR. The EUDR would be enforced as of December 30, 2024, leaving little time for countries like Thailand to comply with the new standards. Michelin collaborated with Henzen, where she wrote the case regarding the EUDR laws and the challenges smallholder farmers faced in complying with them. This collaboration led to a compelling business case, in which Sasin School of Management won the 2023 EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development) Case Writing Competition in the Corporate Social Responsibility and Responsible Business category. The winning case, titled “Driving Sustainable Transformation: Michelin’s Road to Natural Rubber Sustainability and Meeting the EU Deforestation Regulation,” was rewarded as one of the innovative cases in management development, encouraging innovative and impactful case writing and teaching. Ian Fenwick, Director of Sasin, emphasized the significance of the achievement, stating, “Case studies, the traditional tool of management education, have all too often centered narrowly on profit-making in the Western world, often presented as mega-paged sagas. Sasin’s Case Creation Center focuses on Asian cases, bringing sustainability to the fore, concisely and provocatively, using accessible multimedia formats. To earn these awards for the very first case from our new Center is a remarkable endorsement of our efforts.” Henzen’s dedication to the challenge of crafting impactful business cases for Sasin resonated deeply with Sasin’s mission. “We really want to write impactful cases that show the challenges that companies here in this region face and bring those globally into the classroom,” she remarked. During her investigation into smallholder farmers in Thailand, Henzen uncovered significant disparities between the intent of the EUDR and the realities faced by smallholder farmers. During a visit, she observed the challenges they faced in complying with the EUDR. Despite the farmer’s inability to speak English, Henzen, aided by a translator, witnessed the farmer’s emotional distress as he expressed frustration: “I keep tapping and I keep tapping, but nothing comes out, it’s not flowing.” It was later revealed that the farmer had been tapping the trees incorrectly. “This is his livelihood. These are histories. And he’s ruined them for the next five years because he’s tapping against the rubber nerves of the tree. And there’s so much that a lot of smallholder farmers still, I mean, sometimes need to learn to comply with the EUDR that they’re not even ready for actual compliance. And that was very shocking to me,” said Henzen. Despite efforts by rubber authorities to help the farmers, reaching them remains a challenge as many plantations lack proper mapping and land locality, complicating compliance efforts. Henzen emphasized the human dimension of these challenges and their implications for sustenance. “So how are you even going to reach them? How are they going to show proof that this is not deforestation land?” she pondered. Sasin’s case will be published at the Case Centre and integrated into Sasin’s courses, fostering insightful discussions in class. Henzen said that one of the issues that was brought up in class was the topic of compliance or non-compliance. Notably, one student, whose family worked in the rubber plantation industry found the case deeply personal and shared her family’s experience working in the rubber industry. As Sasin integrates this winning case into its curriculum, it sets a precedent for addressing real-world dilemmas in the classroom, empowering future leaders to navigate the complexities of Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability with empathy and foresight.