On February 4th, APP (Asia Pulp & Paper), one of the world's largest pulp and paper producers, released a new forest protection policy, pledging to immediately cease all operations involving natural forests in its global supply chain and to accept monitoring and evaluation by non-governmental organizations. Greenpeace positively affirmed APP's commitment to halting deforestation. This is of great significance for protecting the world's few remaining tropical rainforests.
Yang Jie, Forest Conservation Director of Greenpeace East Asia, said, "We welcome the APP's announcement of this commitment and will closely monitor its implementation. If the APP can fulfill its commitment with concrete actions, it will be a huge turning point for the Indonesian rainforests that have suffered damage for many years."
Under this new policy, APP has made a clear commitment to protecting China's natural forests and ensuring that its pulp and paper plantation operations will no longer involve the conversion of forests into any natural forests. Regarding the conversion issues that have already occurred in places like Hainan, APP China has also pledged to discuss and develop solutions with stakeholders in the near future.
Yang Jie pointed out that once these policies are truly implemented, they will have a positive impact on protecting China's natural forests. Greenpeace hopes that APP China can develop effective solutions and timelines for restoring vegetation and ecosystems in the central mountainous region of Hainan, demonstrating its commitment to protecting global rainforests.
APP's new forest protection policy was formulated in response to years of appeals and pressure from Indonesian and international environmental organizations. Greenpeace's global forest protection program, aimed at changing deforestation practices in the pulp and paper industry, uncovered APP's deforestation activities worldwide and its well-known international clients who purchased products from deforestation-damaged forests through field investigations. To date, international brands including Adidas, Kraft Foods, Mattel, Nestlé, and Unilever have terminated their paper procurement contracts with APP and implemented corresponding corporate procurement policies to exclude paper products from tropical rainforests.
Sources: Greenpeace (2013-02-04)
