Building on Industry Commitment to Sustainable Forest Management, Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) Launches Landmark Natural Forest Protection Policies

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires (APHI) members have unique responsibilities to manage millions of hectares of Indonesian forest concessions in an environmentally responsible way.

That is why APHI is very pleased to hear about the new Natural Forest Protection Policies from Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP)that were announced 2012, May 15.

APP’s new commitment on adopting High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF)assessments for their suppliers is a groundbreaking initiative in the pulp and paper industry.

Recently, APHI has declared its support towards the implementation of Indonesia’s new Timber Legality Assurance System (SVLK)as a certification that provides customers clear and verifiable assurance that the timber-based products they purchase from Indonesia are produced in an environmentally-sustainable way. This new mandatory SVLK certification will give Indonesia world-class production and environmental standards.

Beyond SVLK, APHI understands that customers in some parts of the world are asking for the introduction of the internationally-accepted definition of HCVF assessment.

Therefore, APHI supports APP’s serious commitment to conduct HCVF assessments and implement sustainable forest management systems based on HCVF principles. Inevitably there will be issues to manage, both for APP and the suppliers, as is the case whenever a new policy is introduced. What is important is for there to be an effective multi-stakeholder engagement process, as well as full support from all parties including government, associations, and NGOs to ensure a successful implementation.

As a leading forestry business association, APHI also supports other members who have carried on HCVF in their respective area and encourages the others to follow APP’s important initiative.

About SVLK:

Wood Legality Verification System (SVLK) is Indonesia’s chain of custody certification programme, enacted in 2009. This system ensures that wood products exported from the country are legal and traceable to verified points of origin. SVLK is designed to ensure that the industry will only receive and process timber from legal sources according to the regulations of Indonesia. The regulations cover aspects of licensing, harvesting, transporting and processing for the industry. SVLK is an important step in the effort to achieve full Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certification.

About APP Indonesia:

APP Indonesia is a brand umbrella for paper products which are produced by several mills in Indonesia such as PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Tbk, PT Pindo Deli Pulp & Paper Mills, PT PabrikKertas Tjiwi Kimia Tbk, PT Lontar Papyrus Pulp & Paper Industries, and PT Ekamas Fortuna. APP is headquartered in Indonesia and markets its product to more than 120 countries. Most of APP’s production facilities are Chain-of-Custody certified by LEI and PEFC. APP supports several main conservation initiatives, including a 178,000 hectare Biosphere Reserve in Giam Siak Kecil – Bukit Batu and an area of 106,000 hectares for the Senepis Tiger Sanctuary. Both are located in the province of Riau, Sumatra. Other APP wildlife preservation initiatives include the support of the Kutai Orangutan Program in Kalimantan and the conservation of the Javan Rhino in Ujung Kulon National Park. For more information, please visit: www.asiapulppaper.com.

About APP China:

APP China is headquartered in Shanghai, with over 20 pulp and paper mills in the form of subsidiaries and joint ventures, as well as forest plantations with a total area of over 300,000 hectares. With over 38,900 employees, APP China has a total production capability of 8 million tons per year in 2010. By the end of 2010, APP China has spent RMB 5.5 billion (USD 869 million) in environmental protection facilities and RMB 600 million (USD 92.3 million) in various charitable causes and community development projects across the country. For more information, please visit www.app.com.cn.

Contacts

APHI Office

Purwadi Soeprihanto, +62 21 573 4395

Executive Director of APHI

APHI@rimbawan.com

E: purwoadi.sp@gmail.com



APP

Redita Soumi, APP Indonesia

E: redita_soumi@app.co.id