Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Sinar Mas together with more than 25 global companies, and 10 expert organizations support the declaration to increase climate resilience in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene - WASH) initiated by United Nation Global Compact (UNGC) on the sidelines of the UNFCCC COP27 Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on 17 November 2022.
This declaration is part of our business responsibility and also contributes to the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 6, namely access to clean water and sanitation, as well as SDGs 12 and 13 as part of the contribution to sustainable business and climate management.
"This declaration is our effort to support the government and the world in overcoming the problem of the availability of clean water and sanitation in the community, as well as action in mitigating climate change," said APP Sinar Mas Chief of Sustainability, Elim Sritaba.
Elim explained that this declaration was also in line with the Sustainability Roadmap Vision (SRV) 2030, namely that APP Sinar Mas and its supply partners are committed to reducing the carbon footprint in their production process by up to 30%, protecting & conserving more than half a million hectares of natural forest, and have a positive impact on stakeholders across APP Sinar Mas' business and supply chain, including the communities around our operational areas.
Increasing Access to Proper Sanitation in Indonesia
In realizing access to clean water and sanitation in accordance with SDGs number 6, the Government of Indonesia itself has aligned the SDGs targets with the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) which mandates the realization of 90% access to proper sanitation, including 15% of households having access to safe sanitation, and reducing the open defecation rate to 0% by the end of 2024.
Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), there has been an increase in access to proper sanitation in the community, where the percentage of households that have access to proper sanitation is 80.29% in 2021, an increase compared to the previous year of 79.53% in 2020.
In supporting this plan, APP Sinar Mas together with partners and stakeholders related to the WASH program have also carried out various programs including: providing clean water and sanitation facilities for communities around the factory (Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Banten, West Java and East Java), a partnership program with the Belantara Foundation in Berbak Sembilang, South Sumatra. In 2016, together with the Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group (IWMWG)-Indonesia Global Compact Network (IGCN), UNESCO, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia (HfHI), and LIPI collaborated to increase community awareness and capacity in maintaining the sustainability of clean water sources on Pari Island.
Up until now, APP is still collaborating with HfHI and SPEAK Indonesia in an effort to increase access to clean water, sanitation-a clean & healthy lifestyle around its operational areas, namely in the Sidoarjo-East Java and Karawang-West Java areas. This collaboration also involves the local government and empowers the surrounding community.
