Forest Clearance in Concession Area
Forest clearance in areas with legally questionable concession licenses, including those obtained from officials convicted for or on trial for graft.
- APRIL knowingly pulped natural forest wood from concessions whose licenses were issued through corrupt practices
- 10 of 12 APRIL wood suppliers obtained their licenses in 2002/2003 from the heads of Siak and Pelalawan district. Both Government officials have been convicted of corrupt practices and are in jail
- Some also received annual cutting licenses from three Riau Forestry Chiefs who are now in prison for graft
- APRIL’s wood supplier PT SRL received legally questionable concession licenses but despite this has now finished its planned deforestation
APRIL: APRIL and its supply partners strictly adhere to all Indonesian laws and regulations. Our forestry concession licenses have been received following all due processes. The validity of those licenses has been reviewed on numerous occasions by the relevant authorities and found to be in order. APRIL has zero tolerance for corruption and makes each employee responsible for legal compliance through employment contracts and other company policies.
Our entire forestry and manufacturing operations are certified under international legality standards (Bureau Veritas Legal Origin of Timber), which assures that all wood that comes into our mill is from legal sources. Our manufacturing operations are PEFC Chain-of-Custody certified – testament to the fact that a rigorous verification and traceability system is in place.
Our forestry and mill operations are also certified under the national SVLK-PHPL Timber Legality Certification standard, which were jointly developed by EU and the Indonesian government to meet strict EU provisions prohibiting illegal logging as a source of timber/fibre.
