Asia Pulp & Paper welcomes Rainforest Alliance evaluation
Asia Pulp & Paper welcomes Rainforest Alliance’s independent evaluation of its Forest Conservation Policy
APP introduces its 2015 FCP implementation plan to address lessons learnedfrom the field, stakeholder input and the findings of the evaluation
Jakarta,
5 February 2015 –Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has today
welcomed the Rainforest Alliance independent evaluation of
its Forest Conservation Policy (FCP). The
evaluation concludes that the company has made moderate
progress towards meeting its commitments.
The FCP was announced on February 5th 2013, marking an immediate end to natural forest clearance by APP’s pulpwood suppliers as well as a range of other measures. APP recognised that engaging the Rainforest Alliance, a credible international organisation, to evaluate its progress would provide a valuable perspective on its work as well as increase transparency.
APP is an affiliate of New Zealand toilet tissue and paper towel manufacturer Cottonsoft, which has been delivering on its commitment to provide sustainable products for some time. For the past several years Cottonsoft has used only sustainable plantation fibre as well as PEFC-certified fibre in its retail products. Cottonsoft achieved certification by Environmental Choice New Zealand, the government-owned eco-labelling programme, in 2013.
The evaluation report, which assesses the period between 5 February 2013 and 15 August 2014, provides a view of the company’s progress towards meeting each of the FCP’s four policy areas, as well as additional public statements that are relevant to the FCP.
Aida Greenbury, APP’s managing director, sustainability, said: “The FCP is an unprecedented initiative – developed by APP, TFT and Greenpeace – to define a new standard and a new business model for achieving Zero Deforestation in the supply chain. We’re pleased that the Rainforest Alliance has recognised the progress we are making. We believe today’s report shows that our efforts to achieve Zero Deforestation are on the right track.
“However, our FCP implementation measures are not carved in stone. We must have the courage to continually improve them as we learn lessons from implementation. The report has highlighted a number of areas which require additional focus. Its findings, along with feedback from other stakeholders, have been used to inform our FCP implementation plan for 2015 and beyond, which we are introducing today.
“We also believe that an evaluation like this puts a global spotlight on the issues currently at play in Indonesia’s forests. Since 2013, we have been calling for other stakeholders to support us with our Zero Deforestation Policy because forest continues to be lost due to factors that, despite our efforts, we cannot completely control, such as encroachment, forest fires and illegal activities. Our hope is that this evaluation will raise awareness of forestry issues in Indonesia and prompt others, including government, NGOs and the private sector to collaborate more closely to help tackle the issues across the landscape.”
Richard Donovan, Rainforest Alliance Senior Vice President of Forestry, said: “In 2013 APP set out an ambitious program for change. The Rainforest Alliance has found that APP has made moderate progress to implement the many commitments embedded in its FCP during the 18 month period we evaluated. Key steps have been taken, such as halting the clearance of natural forest by its suppliers. As with any major change initiative there remains work to be done to put the policies and procedures that have been developed into action in the field. Rainforest Alliance encourages APP to continue on the path set out in the FCP.”
Today’s FCP Implementation Plan includes the priorities for 2015 onwards, which draw upon Rainforest Alliance’s most significant findings. These are issues related to third party forest clearance, peatland best management practices as well as FPIC and social conflict resolution.
The additional areas covered in the
Implementation Plan are:
- Wildfire prevention and
management
- HCVManagement and protection
- Workers’
rights and welfare
- Sustainable wood supply
-
Landscape conservation initiative
- Internal
engagement
Elements of the plan will be subject to
further consultation as APP continues to implement its
Forest Conservation Policy over the coming months and years.
Ends
Notes to editors:
The Rainforest Alliance
Evaluation report can be found here: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/forestry/sourcing/independent-evaluations/asia-pulp-paper
The
APP FCP Implementation Plan: 2015 and beyond: http://asiapulppaper.com/sustainability/vision-2020/sustainability-roadmap-vision-2020-reports
APP’s
Forest Conservation Policy can be found here: http://asiapulppaper.com/sustainability/vision-2020/forest-conservation-policy
About
Asia Pulp & Paper
Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP)
is a trade name for a group of pulp and paper manufacturing
companies in Indonesia and China. APP is responsible for
delivering quality products to meet the growing global
demand for tissue, packaging and paper. On any given day,
our products find their way into the hands of consumers in
various branded forms from all over the world.
Started in
1972 with Tjiwi Kimia producing caustic soda, now we run
operations across Indonesia and China with an annual
combined pulp, paper, packaging product and converting
capacity of over 19 million tons per annum. Today, APP
markets its products in more than 120 countries across six
continents.
Over the years, we have expanded our
operations significantly through the acquisition and
expansion of several of our pulp and paper mills. It’s our
commitment to customer satisfaction that enables us to grow
our share in paper sales worldwide and broaden our presence
through offices in many countries. We believe ‘tradition
and modernity go hand in hand’ which means we value long
term relationships as part of our Eastern traditions, while
we also are eager to embrace the modern values of innovation
and efficiency.
Maintaining the integrity of our supply
chain is also crucial to APP’s operations as well as our
commitment to our Sustainability Roadmap Vision 2020. Learn
more about APP’s path to operational excellence by reading
our Sustainability Reports and Forest Conservation
Policy.