Indonesia is home to the world's third-largest tropical forest area and is a popular destination for cosmetics ingredient sourcing; but is also one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gasses, due to rapid loss of carbon-rich forests.
WWF notes that the commitment to support forest conservation areas equal in size to its plantations sets a new standard for the pulp and paper industry in Indonesia.
Policy
“Given WWF’s longstanding calls for an end to the environmental abuses associated with the pulp and paper industry, APRIL’s Sustainable Forest Management Policy would seem to be demonstrating willingness on the part of the company to transforming its operations,” says Dr Efransjah, CEO of WWF-Indonesia.
“If APRIL truly fulfills the entire commitment in the policy, it will lead to a positive contribution to Indonesia’s forests, biodiversity, emission reductions and people.”
Under the new policy, APRIL will establish a moratorium on clearing in concessions where there has not been independent assessment of conservation values.
The company and its long term supply partners will complete plantation establishment by the end of the year and will support a pilot study to help develop industry accepted methods for evaluating and protecting High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests and peatland areas.
Caution
However, WWF urges APRIL to become a 100% plantation fibre company in 2014, as it can still utilize wood from tropical forests in its mill until the end of 2019; and while the carbon stock assessment study is welcome, WWF says it should involve all relevant stakeholders and APRIL should apply the precautionary principle and protect all likely HCS areas until an industry standard is final.
Overall, assessing the APRIL plan against requirements set in the milestones by the Environmental Paper network (EPN), WWF welcomes APRIL’s commitment to support forest conservation areas equivalent to its plantation areas.
The plan initially affects the pulp and paper industry most, but other industries, such as cosmetics, with high levels of deforestation, are also urged to implement similar policies.