APP welcomes endorsement of Indonesian forestry certification

PEFC is a global forest certification scheme, and has endorsed IFCC following an assessment process involving multi-stakeholder processes at national level with all standard requirements meeting or exceeding the environmental, social and economic requirements of PEFC’s Sustainability Benchmarks. All standards are subjected to an independent third-party evaluation, global public consultation, review by a panel of experts and consideration by the PEFC board of directors, before PEFC members decide about the endorsement of a particular national system. The entire assessment documentation is made publicly available to ensure full transparency of the process.

APP is a trade name for a group of pulp and paper manufacturing companies in Indonesia and China, and delivers products to meet the growing global demand for packaging, paper and tissue.

In February 2013, APP introduced its Forest Conservation Policy, which saw the business introduce a moratorium on natural forest clearance with the aim of ensuring zero deforestation throughout its supply chain. Following this, in April 2014, the company committed to support the protection and restoration of one million hectares of forest in Indonesia.

Aida Greenbury, APP managing director of sustainability, said: ‘This endorsement is great news for Indonesia as it will open up more markets for sustainable Indonesian forestry products. It means that global customers can buy from Indonesia, in the knowledge that what they are buying has been sourced sustainably to global standards. PEFC is widely recognised around the world and IFCC will now benefit from that recognition.

‘Since the introduction of the IFCC standard, we have been working on an action plan that will lead to the certification of our supplier concessions. This will improve the competitiveness of our business internationally, while also providing our customers with an invaluable extra layer of reassurance.’

IFCC chairman Dradjad H Wibowo said: ‘Finding the right balance that protects forests and the people who depend on them is critical to achieving long term sustainability. We have benefitted from the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders in the development of our national forest certification scheme towards this ambitious goal, and the endorsement by PEFC confirms that we are in alignment with globally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks.

‘Forest owners and companies are now able to demonstrate their good practices through certification and to gain more trust of the marketplace. Indonesia recognizes the importance of sustainable forest management, and we encourage buyers globally to take a second look at certified forest products from Indonesia and to reward those who are committed to safeguarding our forest resources.’

Ben Gunneberg, secretary-general of PEFC International, stated: ‘This endorsement signifies a turning point for Indonesia, a country which is still struggling with combating high deforestation rates.

‘Forest certification represents an important mechanism to verify and promote sustainable forest management, thus safeguarding the environmental, social and economic benefits that forests provide. This is especially important in a country like Indonesia given the significance of its forest resources both in terms of protecting its invaluable biodiversity and its contribution to the livelihoods of the millions of people that depend on forest resources to make a living.’

APP’s Greenbury concluded: ‘Sustainability certifications such as PEFC act as a benchmark that customers can trust, but as an industry leader, we aim to go beyond certification standards as we seek to ensure our products are as sustainable as they can be. That’s why we are committed to Zero Deforestation and will continue to work with the many stakeholders operating in Indonesian landscapes to ensure our forests have a sustainable future.’