A European campaign
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The rapid expansion market of paper products linked to deforestation in Indonesia into the European is supporting the further expansion of pulp plantations into Indonesia’s last tropical forests and peatlands. EEPN is promoting a European-wide campaign to stop the expansion of such products into the European market and to protect Indonesia’s rainforests and forest communities rights. Read more... |
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A problematic business partner
APP recently launched an aggressive market campaign to expand its business in Europe. This no doubt was a factor in the increase in European paper imports from Asia, which rose by 14.1% in 2010 alone. A further increase of the demand for APP products in Europe would inevitably lead to further conversion of valuable peat-forests into pulp plantations in Indonesia, to provide more and more fibres to APP mills in both Indonesia and China.
APP is presenting its products as environmentally friendly, but the well-regarded third party certification body, the Forest Stewardship Council in 2007 “dissociated” itself from APP, citing “substantial publicly available information that suggests that APP is associated with destructive forestry practices.”[1] APP announced then to have obtained LEI and PEFC certifications[2]. But there are no PEFC certified forests in Indonesia, so APP imports its PEFC certified pulp. Its mill Chain of Custody certification allows the company to manufacture a few PEFC products, which may still contain uncertified, raw materials from Indonesian rainforests, even from critical habitats. The LEI certification obtained by APP has been repeatedly questioned by Indonesian NGOs as controversial.[3]
A WWF survey has found. None of these certifications cover the most controversial operations of the APP’s wood suppliers – mass clearing of native forests which are home to critically endangered tigers, elephants and orang-utans and clearing and drainage of peat areas which result in massive greenhouse gas emissions.[4]In July 2010, 40 European NGOs co-signed a letter to the paper industry[5] demanding to stop any eventual purchase of paper from APP.
Despite APP massive greenwashing, many companies broke their relationship with APP, including: Fuji Xerox, Office Depot, Staples, United Stationers, Unilever, Kraft, Nestlé, Gucci, Adidas, Montblanc, Lego, Mattel, Hasbro, Cartamundi, Carrefour, Auchan, Metro Group, Tesco, Sainsbury , Marks & Spencer, Woolworths Office Depot, Woolworths. In January 2008, Staples Inc., the largest U.S. office supply chain, joined a growing number of paper buyers that have ended their relationships with APP, saying that remaining a customer of APP was “at great peril to (its) brand”.[6]
[1] Forest Stewardship Council A.C. Forest Stewardship Council dissociates with Asia Pulp and Paper, December 2007, see: http://www.wwf.or.jp/activity/forest/ news/2008/20080116opt_fsc.pdf
[2] Asia Pulp & Paper, Asia Pulp & Paper Lays Out Key Milestones On Path to 100 Percent Pulpwood Supply Certification, 23 February 2011, http://www.asiapulppaper.com/portal/app_portal.nsf/Web-MenuPage/3B8F7685F2EDF455472578400019DBFF/$FILE/110222_APP_Lays_Out_Key_Milestones.pdf
[3] Joint Press Release by KKI Warsi, FZS Indonesia Program, PKHS, Jikalahari, Walhi Riau, Walhi Jambi and WWF Riau 19th Nov 2009 http://www.wwf.or.id/index.cfm?uNewsID=12980&uLangID=1 and Indonesian NGOs: Even with LEI certification, APP paper products are unsustainable http://www.wwf.or.id/index.cfm?uNewsID=12980&uLangID=1 o http://www.illegal-logging.info/item_single.php?it_id=3174&it=news
Furthermore, the current LEI certificate that APP has for LEI (Sinar Mas Forestry owned WKS) was issued despite the fact that one member of the five strong ‘Expert Panel’, disagreed that it should be certified. Dr. Rudi Syaf, who was responsible for reviewing the ecological aspects of the evaluation, “raised a different opinion from the other panel members,” according to the public summary of the certification decision. See: Furthermore, the current LEI certificate that APP has for LEI (Sinar Mas Forestry owned WKS) was issued despite the fact that one member of the five strong ‘Expert Panel’, disagreed that it should be certified. Dr. Rudi Syaf, who was responsible for reviewing the ecological aspects of the evaluation, “raised a different opinion from the other panel members,” according to the public summary of the certification decision.
[4] WWF, Questionnaire to Certification Standard Setting Bodies / Certification Bodies Associated with Asia Pulp & Paper: PEFC; SGS; LEI; TUV Rheinland; AFNOR and EU Ecolabel, March 2012, http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/app_collated_certifier_responses_final_13_february_2012.pdf
[5] The purchase of paper and packaging products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) , July 2010, http://www.salvaleforeste.it/joint-eu-ngos-letter
Tools & Solutions
 What's in your paper? Learn about solutions |
 Shrink paper: addressing the over-consumption |
 The paper calculator, to quantify the benefits of better paper choices. |
 The European Environmental Paper Network (EEPN) |