Improving Lives: APRIL Group Releases 2015 – 2016 Sustainability Report
APRIL Group has published its Sustainability Report for 2015-2016, titled Improving Lives, covering an important period in the company’s sustainability progress.
A voluntary reporting initiative, this SR will be the last of the biennial series as it moves to an annual reporting cycle from 2018. The Report focuses on how the company manages its economic, environmental and social commitments in Indonesia where manufacturing, industrial forest plantations, conservation and restoration areas are located.
It highlights several milestones, while noting that the company’s delivery of its sustainability commitments is an ongoing process. These include:
- The launch of the company’s Sustainable Forest Management Policy 2.0 in June 2015, which remains at the centre of our operations today as we implement its commitments, including the immediate elimination of deforestation from our supply chain.
- The subsequent formation of the Independent Peat Expert Working Group (IPEWG) in early 2016, which is advancing science-led approaches to responsible peatland management.
- The achievement of Sustainable Forest Management certification under the Programme for the Endorsement of Forestry Certification (PEFC) – the first Indonesian company to achieve this.
- The establishment of the Fire Free Village Programme (FFVP) in July 2015 – a community-based fire prevention initiative that today continues our progress towards a fire free landscape.
- The expansion of peatland restoration project, Restorasi Ekosistem Riau, to 150,000 hectares supported by US$100 million over ten years, which today continues to promote the protection of important biodiversity on the Kampar Peninsula.
- The implementation of a GHG monitoring project to measure emissions across production and conservation landscapes.
While the report marks the company’s significant progress, APRIL recognizes that much work still needs to be done and remain committed to addressing this in consultation with stakeholders, including the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, Independent Peat Expert Working Group, and RER Advisory Board.
The Report’s title reflects the company’s core purpose: to improve people’s lives through sustainable management of natural resources. This includes caring for the people who depend on APRIL and for the natural resources on which it depends to be a viable business.
In his statement in the Report, Praveen Singhavi, APRIL President, explains, “Our yardstick for success and our drivers for acting go beyond just satisfying our many stakeholders. We must constantly ask ourselves, are we really making a difference where it counts? Are we truly delivering on our protection and production approach to landscape management? And are we a force for the improvement of people’s lives and livelihoods at a local community level?”
The Report follows the Global Reporting Initiative standard for sustainability reporting, known as the GRI Standard, and has been independently assured by KPMG Performance Registrar Inc. It also references the relevant forestry and social indicators developed to verify the implementation of the APRIL’s Sustainable Forest Management Policy.
Read Improving Lives, Sustainability Report 2015-2016
