Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL), managed by the Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) group of companies founded by Indonesian businessman and philanthropist Sukanto Tanoto, is one of the world’s largest producers of pulp and paper.
In 2014 the APRIL group published its first Sustainable Forest Management Policy in which the company committed itself to safeguarding the environment and looking after the best interests of the locals, while continuing to practise sustainable business operations.
As the APRIL group is highly committed to improving its environmental impact and operational sustainability, they started working with the Independent Peat Expert Working Group (IPEWG) which was established to help the company fulfil the commitments related to its peatland operations made in the updated Sustainable Forest Management Policy 2.0 in 2015.
IPEWG
IPEWG consists of both national and international experts tasked with providing the APRIL group with the best, most effective and environmentally friendly recommendations for:
- The best way to manage existing plantations that are planted on peatland.
- The necessary actions needed to insure conservation and restoration of forested peatland and peatland landscapes.
- Development options for peatland that is not forested, which could range from developing plantations through to restoration of the peatland.
With these recommendations form IPEWG, the APRIL group hopes to incorporate the best international practises possible in order to protect the Indonesian peatlands as well as reduce its GHG emissions even further in existing operations.
The Rainforest Alliance
The APRIL group has simultaneously been collaborating with the Rainforest Alliance, an international non-profit organisation with a mission to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods, with the intention to create with new ways in which to fundamentally improve its forestry and community operations in Indonesia. This new collaboration is in line with APRIL’s upgraded Sustainable Forest Management Policy 2.0, as well as the RGE group of companies’ business policy set into place by RGE Chairman Mr Sukanto Tanoto; all RGE operations should be good for the community, good for the country, good for the climate and good for the company.
The main role of the Rainforest Alliance in this collaboration is to provide advisory support and will not include audits for any certification or other purposes.
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