APP’s forest conservation commitments, one year on

(Before It's News)

A year ago today, Asia Pulp & Paper committed to end its role in forest destruction. It placed an immediate halt to all forest clearance and began the road to reformation, under the watchful eyes of Greenpeace and a host of other local and international NGOs.

And one year on, despite many challenges along the way, we are pleased that the moratorium is holding and that APP remains serious about delivering on its commitments.

None of this could’ve been possible without you.

The campaign to reform Indonesia’s forest sector and companies like APP started over a decade ago. It has involved a movement of people who support forest protection across Indonesia and around the world.  

With your support, Greenpeace persuaded numerous international brands to suspend contracts with APP, increasing the pressure on the company to reform. Over half a million of you joined the campaign in 2011, asking Mattel and other toy companies to stop supporting deforestation and by joining the hunt for our special Chainsaw Barbies.

This is just one of the many steps you took with us to secure the APP commitment to protect forests. And it’s working. There is a long road ahead and some important issues still need to be resolved, but today, APP stands in stark contrast to their main competitor in the Indonesian pulp sector. APRIL/RGE Group is the new APP – a standard bearer for forest destruction in Indonesia.

APRIL continues to greenwash its forest destruction. Just last week, it announced a so-called ‘Sustainable Forest Management Policy’, weeks after being threatened to be kicked out of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

To us, it seemed like a desperate act to give its destructive operations a ‘green’ veneer.

While we continue to monitor APP’s  progress, commitments like theirs help increase the pressure on other forest destroyers, such as APRIL/RGE group.

Follow us to find out how we will hold companies to account and push laggards like APRIL to clean up their act.

Zulfahmi is a Forest Campaigner with Greenpeace Southeast Asia based in Jakarta, Indonesia

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