The natural rubber compound that is one of the materials used in the manufacturing of vehicle tires accounts for 40 percent of the total. Currently, it is sourced in the tropics and is one of the leading contributors to the deforestation of the Amazon rain forest - only adding to the severity of climate change. Bridgestone Americas, a leading tire manufacturer, is looking to the lowly Guayule plant that grows in the United States, as a possible alternative.