APP will meet pulp targets, say independent experts

An independent study has confirmed that Asia Pulp and Paper Group (APP) has sufficient plantation resource to meet the pulp requirements of its existing mills as well as its future mill in OKI, South Sumatra.

The launch of the company’s Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) last year was met with caution by certain NGOs when APP committed to producing pulp and paper that is free from fibre or activity linked to deforestation.

To address concerns around whether existing supplier plantations would have sufficient capacity to meet APP’s commitment, The Forest Trust (TFT) and Ata Marie, a provider of professional services to the Forestry, Agri-Business and Natural Resource Management sectors, were asked to conduct an independent “Growth and Yield” study to assess existing plantation areas.

Scott Poynton, executive director, The Forest Trust, said: “We are pleased to be able to reassure everyone that APP and its suppliers have sufficient resource for the company’s 100 per cent plantation target. We have identified one minor gap in 2020 but this can be easily filled by increasing the productivity of the plantation operations between now and then.”

Aida Greenbury, APP’s managing director of sustainability, commented: “The FCP is central to our business model and this study proves that the model works - we can continue our operations and expand profitably without having a detrimental impact on forests in Indonesia or anywhere else in the world.

“The TFT report forecasts a minor gap in supply in 2020. However it is clear that with a harvesting rotation of around five years, improvements made now can bridge that gap by increasing productivity of supplier plantations through improved yield, better tree stock and reduction of waste.

“As such, we have been developing an action plan to ensure we have sufficient plantation fibre to meet the pulp requirements of our existing mills as well as our future mill in South Sumatra, in line with our target to become a 100% plantation business for pulp production.”

The methodology and conclusions of the report will be evaluated by Rainforest Alliance as part of the independent FCP evaluation it is currently carrying out.

For more details, download APP’s 18 month FCP update report here  

Picture caption: Timber from APP's sustainable plantations is checked as it enters the mill log yard