Asia Pulp & Paper halts all natural forest clearance in Indonesia

Australian tissue and paper suppliers Solaris Paper and Paper Force have welcomed the landmark commitment by their affiliate, Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP), to end the clearing of natural forest across its entire supply chain in Indonesia, with immediate effect. 

From 1 February, all of APP’s suppliers have suspended natural forest clearance while independent assessments take place to identify areas of high conservation value that will be protected through a long-term management program.

The new forest protection policies will align the sustainability initiatives of APP, Solaris Paper and Paper Force.

Steve Nicholson, CEO of Solaris Paper, commended APP for its commitment, noting, “With this new announcement, Australian customers should have confidence that the raw materials we source from APP are sustainable.”

Initially, APP’s ‘Vision 2020’ Sustainability Roadmap, published in June 2012, set out a plan for APP to implement high conservation value forest (HCVF) principles and end natural forest clearance across its entire supply chain by 2015. Now, that objective has been accelerated by almost two years.

Aida Greenbury, APP Managing Director for Sustainability, said, “Our new forest conservation policy sets our company on course to be a leading world-class paper company solely based on sustainable plantation sources.”