Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Announces New Policies on High Conservation Value Forest

Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) has announced its new High Conservation Value Forest policies to evolve APP’s business, including the immediate suspension of natural forest clearance on its own pulpwood plantations in Indonesia.

Over the past decade, APP has built and implemented a broad-ranging sustainability strategy to preserve critical aspects of Indonesia’s precious natural resources, high conservation areas, and biodiversity.

Now, in what the Group calls the "next natural evolution" of its sustainability strategy, APP is announcing a move to adopt the internationally- recognized standards for High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF).

The HCVF policies will be implemented immediately in the following way:

1.       With respect to APP owned concessions in Indonesia:

a.       Effective from 1st June 2012, we will suspend natural forest clearance while HCVF assessments are conducted.

b.      We have engaged credible experts to conduct HCVF assessments, in accordance with HCV Resource Network best practice. The assessments will be based on a multi-stakeholder approach.

c.       We will protect all identified HCVF areas as a result of the HCVF assessments.

2.       With respect to APP’s independent pulpwood suppliers in Indonesia:

a.       Given our firm commitments on HCVF, APP expects independent suppliers to comply with our request for HCVF assessments, by 31 December 2014.

b.      With an international NGO partner, we will engage with our independent suppliers to adopt HCVF assessments.

c.       We will review and re-evaluate supply agreements where HCVF assessments are not conducted.

“Effective immediately, we are embarking on a bold program to ensure we can offer our customers products with the highest environmental and social integrity, and to ensure delivery of a shared vision for the global community," said Aida Greenbury, APP's managing director of sustainability. "We are taking account of critical issues raised in our dialogue with NGOs. It is the aim of APP’s policy to exclude HCVF from the supply chain.”

APP will provide regular reports on its website addressing its progress against the commitments.