Sumatra, Lack of governance, Biodiversity loss, Pulp & paper, advisory, APP, Asia Pulp & Paper, buyers, commitment, deforestation, FCP, HCV, investors, protection, sinar mas group, WWF Indonesia, zero deforestation,
EoF News (PEKANBARU)—WWF released yesterday an advisory presented to buyers and investors of Sinar Mas Group/Asia Pulp & Paper (SMG/APP).
The organization recommended the buyers and investors “not buy products from Sinar Mas’s APP group and avoid investing in their infrastructure expansion projects, until there is independent verification by NGOs that APP’s “forest conservation policy” and this new commitment results in true avoidance of deforestation and that NGOs and APP agree on paths towards restoration and protection of priority ecosystems and HCV areas.
WWF said it hailed APP’s recent clarifications in June 2013 of its “forest conservation policy (FCP)” that it is committed to “an absolute deadline of 31 August 2013 for all natural forest wood felled prior to 1 February 2013, to have reached its pulp mills. After this date, no natural forest fiber will be able to enter APP log yards.”
On the new APP’s FCP commitment, WWF remains concerned that there are loopholes in this commitment that fail to ensure that “no natural forest fiber will be able to enter APP log yards” after 31 August 2013 will mean the same thing as “no deforestation”.