APRIL ELIMINATES DEFORESTATION ACROSS ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN
This morning in Jakarta, we announced strengthened sustainability commitments that eliminate deforestation from our supply chain. This is part of our updated Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP).
From left to right:
Aditya Bayunanda WWF Indonesia, Ida Bagus Putera Parthama Director General Sustainable Forest Management Ministry of Environment and Forestry, President Director PT. Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) Tony Wenas, President APRIL Praveen Singhavi, Chairman of Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) Joseph Lawson, RGE Director Anderson Tanoto, Greenpeace Bustar Maitar
APRIL’s enhanced sustainability policy is the result of considerable stakeholder engagement including inputs from Greenpeace and WWF.
The updated policy enhances the company’s landscape approach to conservation and means APRIL Group:
- Will not undertake any new development on forested land or forested peatland
- Has added High Carbon Stock (HCS) assessments to existing High Conservation Value (HCVF) assessments
- Reinforces unprecedented landscape conservation that will deliver conservation areas equal in size to its 480,000 ha of plantation; 70% already completed
- Strengthens peatland management with establishment of Peat Expert Working Group (PEWG); will track and report carbon footprint
- Enhances programmes for poverty alleviation, job creation, access to education and Free, Prior, Informed Consent rights for local communities
- Strengthens cooperation with NGOs
These new policy elements take affect immediately and apply to APRIL Group and all of its suppliers.
Anderson Tanoto speaks at the SFMP 2.0 event
The evolution of our SFMP is the culmination of a 15-year sustainability journey. In 2002 we introduced a chain of custody system to ensure no illegal wood entered our mill. This was followed by the pioneering of high conservation value assessments, leading to the protection of 250,000 hectares of forest in our concessions and eco-restoration of a further 70,000 hectares. In 2014, we introduced our SFMP and the Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) was formed.
In building on our SFMP commitments we have taken on board the guidance of the SAC as well as stakeholders including our customers, partners and NGOs. This has helped us arrive at solutions to accelerate our progress towards sustainability and maintain the right balance between environmental, social and business imperatives.
You can view APRIL Group’s updated Sustainable Forest Management Policy here and the Bahasa Indonesia version here.
