"Paper giants’ expansion plans raise fears of greater deforestation in Indonesia"

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Both Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) have been linked with the degradation and burning of carbon-dense peat forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. [...]

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In a letter addressed to APP’s business partners, a coalition of 33 NGOs pointed out that the plantations from where APP currently gets its pulpwood already have fundamental problems. The lands on which some of them sit are also claimed by local communities, with at least 107 villages or communities known to be in active conflict with APP as of 2020.

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On the concern that the OKI mill expansion would lead to more forest and peatland clearance, APP said the company would continue to source from existing plantations as approved by the government, rather than establishing new ones. It also said it remains committed to its zero-deforestation pledge under its Forest Conservation Policy (FCP), which also contains a pledge to only use sustainably sourced fiber.

“APP and its pulpwood suppliers do not engage in deforestation, and no pulpwood from deforested sources have entered the APP supply chain since the implementation of the 2013 FCP,” APP said. “All our suppliers have undergone a Supplier Evaluation & Risk Assessment (SERA) process to ensure they comply with our sustainability commitments.”

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APP’s main competitor in Indonesia, Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), also plans to expand its mill operations [...].

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“Our expansion plans will be subject to a number of local and national regulatory approvals and we are working through these,” APRIL told Mongabay in an email. “If approved based on current plans, the first phase of new production capacity will come on stream in 2025.”

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