Future of Spaceship Earth 115
APP
SDG 15
PLUNGING TO ZERO DEFORESTATION With its headquarters in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country and one of the fastest-growing economies, and with dozens of pulpwood suppliers managing concessions of 2.6 million hectares of forests, APP is at the nexus of challenges around the sustainable use of natural resources. Tropical forests hold large stores of carbon, are packed full of important biodiversity, and are critical for millions of people who depend on forests for their livelihoods. But as Greenpeace points out, “Companies that have been converting tropical forests to plantations for commodities like palm oil or paper have come under increasing pressure to prove their operations and supply chains are not causing deforestation” (Greenpeace, 2016). After years of pressure from communities, NGOs, stakeholders, and the media to address forest management issues, including deforestation of peat and natural forest, and conflict with communities in their concession areas, APP launched their Forest Conservation Policy in February 2013. This committed the company to zero deforestation. In just over three years they have won the approval of some of their most ardent former critics. APP has chosen to meet critics head on, adopting a strategy of continuous engagement and ‘brutal transparency’ and says it is now in an industry leading position in developing a new business model to meet the challenges of sustainable development. We spoke to APP's Managing Director of Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement, Aida Greenbury.
Assessment “It's very clear from DNV GL’s assessment that it will be challenging to meet this SDG, for a mixture of reasons,” says Greenbury. “But I've seen a lot of progress in the last five years, and growing leadership from many countries. Our president in Indonesia made a clear commitment that there will be no further exploitation of peat land - that is a huge step, which we’re supporting with our policy on no-deforestation, and on responsible peat land management.” However, Greenbury feels that DNV GL underestimates the role of the private sector in maintaining momentum in the anti-deforestation movement. “Businesses are seeing the need and the logic for business models and consumption patterns that are not harmful to ecosystems. These are not just developing countries' issues; we see changes now coming in many countries. For example, there are initiatives in the UK that are focusing on re-wilding and protecting peat land.
AIDA GREENBURY Managing Director of APP Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement As one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies, Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) operates across Indonesia and China with an annual combined pulp, paper, packaging product and converting capacity of over 19 million tonnes per annum. APP is committed to a journey that places sustainability at the heart of their operation, acknowledging the challenges that lie ahead. Today, APP markets their products in more than 120 countries across six continents and employs 37,951 people. In 2015, APP recorded revenues of US$ 5.7 Bn.
«The question is not whether SDG 15 is attainable. It is a question of how quickly we can achieve it, it is a question of survival.»