Dozens of Japanese Students Study Industry and Conservation with APP Sinar Mas Riau

Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Sinar Mas business unit in Riau (PT Arara Abadi and PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Tbk) received visits from dozens of Japanese students, consisting of high school students and students majoring in forestry management and agriculture (3/8/ 2023).

The visit aims to be a forum for collaboration to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the forestry and pulp and paper industries to the young Japanese generation.

During the visit, students were given the opportunity to see directly various operational areas, starting from plantations, fire management, community empowerment programs, production processes at mills, R&D, and Nursery to restoration efforts.

Yu Yamazaki, Manager of Sustainability and Corporate Communications for APP Japan region said, "In the future, these students will be future leaders. I believe they can have a positive impact on business between Japan and Indonesia."

"In fact, some of them have shown a deep interest in Indonesia, some are even fluent in Indonesian," he added.

Conservation efforts and CSR

One of the educators, Yoshikazu Tatemoto, added, "This visit is important to increase students' experience and knowledge about how paper is produced and the conservation efforts implemented by the company."

"Our students choose to come here because it suits their majors, one of which is forestry. Meanwhile, high school students want to know how paper is made," he explained.

One of them, Moka Haruki, said that this activity was a valuable opportunity because previously she had no idea about how paper was made. "With this visit, I can see directly how the paper that I use every day is produced," he said.

Eri Furihata, a Japanese student also expressed the same thing. "Knowing how the paper I use in Japan is produced, I feel that this is the best paper," he said.

"Not only the manufacturing process, I can also learn about various conservation activities and corporate social responsibility," he added.

The visit ended with planting local tree species in the Tahura area of Sultan Syarif Hasyim, Riau, which in the last two years has become a location for forest restoration in collaboration between Riau Provincial Forestry Service and Belantara Foundation and APP Sinar Mas.