Versals and Yulex Corporation announced they are forming a strategic partnership to manufacture guayule-based biorubber materials and will launch an industrial production complex in Southern Europe. The partnership will cover the entire manufacturing chain from crop science to biorubber extraction to the construction of a biomass power station. Versalis will manufacture materials for various applications: after an initial focus on consumer and medical specialty markets, the target is to optimize the process to reach the tire industry. The partnership will leverage Yulex's core competencies including crop science and biorubber extraction technologies, to boost Versalis' bio-based portfolio. The investment will include an ambitious research project to develop technologies targeting the tire industry.

Yulex Corporation and Four D Rubber, a UK-based manufacturer of latex sheeting for the dental, fitness, clothing and industrial markets and applications, announced a partnership to produce the first plant-based, latex allergy-friendly dental dam. The Yulex Dental Dam will be made from guayule-based biorubber material. Guayule is a renewable, non-food, latex allergy-friendly crop grown in the U.S. Yulex applies sustainable agriculture, clean bioprocessing, and materials science to replace imported Hevea latex and synthetic materials. Consumer and medical products made from Hevea rubber latex can cause a Type 1 Allergic reaction in some people. Yulex's guayule-based biorubbers do not contain sensitizing allergenic proteins. A desert plant indigenous to the southwest United States, guayule is a new industrial crop and the only species other than Hevea that has been used for rubber production on a commercial scale. Guayule requires low water consumption, is latex allergy-friendly and has a clean manufacturing process. Rubber is found primarily in the bark of this desert shrub. To extract the rubber, the branches are ground, releasing intact rubber particles into an aqueous suspension. The materials are separated in a centrifuge, and the rubber mixture is purified.

Patagonia, Inc. and Yulex Corporation announced the introduction of a guayule-based wetsuit, a renewable biorubber that is the first alternative to traditional fossil-based neoprene. Yulex's biorubber material is made from guayule, a renewable, non-food crop that requires very little water, is grown domestically in the US, uses no pesticides, and in comparison to traditional neoprene, has a very clean manufacturing process. Initially, the new suits will be available in Japan only. In Spring 2013, surfers will be able to order custom suits out of Patagonia's wetsuit facility in Ventura, CA, with a global rollout to follow.