APP partners with ‘Solutions COP21’ ahead of UN Climate Change Conference as part of global commitment to tackle deforestation and climate change
PARIS – (November 24, 2015) Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP), one of the largest paper companies in the world, is reiterating its commitment to the fight against deforestation ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December, by partnering with “Solutions COP21” and participating in a number of activities to encourage multi-stakeholder commitments to eliminate deforestation from the world's commodity supply chains. APP believes that COP21 is a unique opportunity for the world to reach a consensus on a legally binding agreement to tackle climate change. Deforestation contributes as much as 15% of all GHG emissions every year, making the protection of forests and peatlands integral to the success of any major environmental initiative. Preventing further deforestation as well as restoring degraded and deforested land around the world would make a major impact on managing global emissions.
Having adopted a strict policy of zero deforestation in February 2013, APP is commited to eliminating deforestation from commodity supply chains. The company is at the forefront of a profound shift in recent years over global attempts to address climate change. On the issue of tackling deforestation in particular, momentum has shifted from the northern hemisphere to the south, from governments to the private sector, and from customers to producers of commodities.
In terms of its global commitments, APP is the first private sector company to participate in the Bonn Challenge; a global movement launched in 2011 at a ministerial conference in Bonn. Its main objective is to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020. Last year, during the September 2014 UN Climate Summit, APP co-signed the New York Declaration on forests, alongside governments, companies and NGOs. This declaration supported the target set by the "Bonn Challenge" with the goal of restoring an additional 200 million hectares of forest by 2030.
APP supports these initiatives through a commitment to protect and restore one million hectares of tropical rainforest in Indonesia; one of the most ambitious conservation commitments ever made by a private company. To channel funds for conservation initiatives related to the 1 million hectare program, APP has established a non-profit organization, Belantara Foundation.[1] In 2015, and ahead of COP21, APP is partnering with “Solutions COP21”; a private sector initiative running alongside the Paris UN Climate conference in December, with a large exhibition at Le Grand Palais showcasing climate solutions and innovations. During the exhibition, APP will be highlighting the importance of forests conservation and restoration in the global efforts against climate change, with the following key events at Le Grand Palais:
- Exhibition stand at Le Grand Palais – To explain to the general public and French youth the importance of responsible paper making, as well as supporting restoration and conservation projects, APP will have a stand at the exhibition which will take the form of a forest, including a giant book, a wisdom tree and an origami area. The exhibition is open to the public and free of charge, from 4 to 10 December 2015.
- Conference on the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to tackle deforestation – To discuss the more technical aspects of sustainable forest management, APP will organise a conference on December 4, on the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to tackle deforestation. This event will gather representatives from private sector, NGOs and other experts to address the issue of deforestation and to discuss practical solutions on how stakeholders can work together to tackle the challenge. Panelists include: Aida Greenbury, APP’s Managing Director of Sustainability; Bertrand Swiderski, Sustainability Director at Carrefour Group; Katie McCoy, Head of Forests Program at CDP; and, Fabien Girard, Head of The Forest Trust (TFT) France.
- Soft Launch Belantara Foundation – To announce the establishment of Belantara Foundation and lay out the ambitious conservation master plan for the ten critical landscapes across Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia. During the soft launch, Jatna Supriatna, PhD, Vice Chairman of Belantara will present the background and objectives of the foundation as well as inviting active participations from stakeholders.
“As a partner of Solutions COP21 initiative, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to the fight climate change and fight against deforestation,” said Aida Greenbury, APP’s Managing Director of Sustainability. “Over the last couple of years, we have been working with multiple stakeholders including Greenpeace and TFT to develop the sophisticated and multi-layered actions needed to deliver conservation, restoration and community benefit across a wide landscape. Today, the ambition must be to eliminate deforestation from the world's commodity supply chains. In order to achieve this goal, all stakeholders must work together in public-private partnerships.”
See full APP participation at Solutions COP21 here http://www.asiapulppaper.com/news-media/events/app-partner-solutions-cop21
About Asia Pulp & Paper
Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) is a trade name for a group of pulp and paper manufacturing companies in Indonesia and China. APP is responsible for delivering quality products to meet the growing global demand for tissue, packaging and paper. On any given day, our products find their way into the hands of consumers in various branded forms all over the world.
Started in 1972 with Tjiwi Kimia producing caustic soda, we now run operations across Indonesia and China with an annual combined pulp, paper, packaging product and converting capacity of over 20 million tons per annum. Today, APP markets its products in more than 120 countries across six continents.
Over the years, we have expanded our operations significantly through the acquisition and expansion of several of our pulp and paper mills. It’s our commitment to customer satisfaction that enables us to grow our share in paper sales worldwide and to broaden our presence through offices in many countries. We believe ‘tradition and modernity go hand in hand’ which means we value long term relationships as part of our Eastern traditions, while also embracing modern values of innovation and efficiency.
Maintaining the integrity of our supply chain is crucial to APP’s operations. APP launched its Sustainability Roadmap Vision 2020 in June 2012 and announced its Forest Conservation Policy in February 2013, both designed to further improve APP’s environmental performance, biodiversity conservation, and protection of community rights. Key objectives of the Roadmap are to ensure that APP pulpwood suppliers protect areas of High Conservation Value (HCV) and High Carbon Stock (HCS), manage peatlands responsibly, and are 100% Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certified by 2020.
In April 2014, APP launched its commitment to support the protection and restoration of one million hectares of forest in Indonesia. To date, APP and its suppliers have allocated approximately 600,000 hectares for conservation within its suppliers’ concessions and for ecosystem restoration.
Learn more about APP’s path to operational excellence by reading our Sustainability Reports and Forest Conservation Policy on: www.asiapulppaper.com.
[1] Belantara (Bersama Lestarikan Nusantara – Conserving the Nation Together) Foundation is an independent body which works with individuals and groups including governments, businesses, NGOs and local communities to protect the future of ten critical landscapes across Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia.