Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings

Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited, or APRIL, is a developer of fibre plantations and the owner of one of the world's largest pulp and paper mills with operations mainly in Indonesia and China. APRIL mainly produces bleached hardwood kraft pulp and uncoated, wood-free paper, including its PAPERONE brand of office paper.^[1] Founded in 1993,^[2] APRIL is managed by RGE and owned by Indonesian business man Sukanto Tanoto living in Singapore.^[3] RGE also manages companies in paper, palm oil, construction, and energy business sectors.^[4]

Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper

APRIL’s main pulp and paper subsidiary is Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP). RAPP operates in Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. APRIL’s pulp and paper mill located at Pangkalan Kerinci in Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia is capable of producing up to 2.8 million tonnes of pulp and 1.15 million tonnes of paper per year.^[5][6] Beginning operation in 1995, Friends of the Earth called RAPP the biggest paper pulp mill in the world, with a capacity of 2 million tonnes per year.^[3]

Sustainability

Certification

In June 2015, APRIL became the first Indonesian forest company to receive the sustainable forest management certification from the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).^[7][8][9] The company previously received PEFC Chain-of-Custody certification in 2010 for its manufacturing operations.

It was later accepted as an International Stakeholder member by PEFC in February 2016.^[10]

APRIL’s operations are also certified under OHSAS 18001 (Safety Management Systems), ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems), and ISO 14001 (Environment Management Systems).^[11]

Eco-Restoration

In 2013, APRIL established the Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER) project to restore, protect and manage 20,000 hectares of degraded peat forests. The eco-restoration area later expanded to 70,000 hectares in June 2015.^[12][13] The project is implemented in collaboration with Fauna and Flora International, The Nature Conservancy and social NGO Bidara. APRIL announced at COP21 a US$100 million investment over the course of 10 years focused on eco-restoration and conservation, in addition to doubling the eco-restoration area to 150,000 hectares.^{[14][15][16][17][18]}

Sustainable Forest Management Policy

APRIL published its Sustainable Forest Management Policy in January 2014.^[19] As part of the policy, an independent Stakeholder Advisory Committee comprising NGOs and forestry experts was set up to oversee its implementation^[20] Grievances and alleged violations of APRIL’s SFMP highlighted by NGOs and civil society groups are reviewed by the Stakeholder Advisory Committee and reported publicly at APRILdialog.com.

In June 2015, APRIL announced its enhanced Sustainable Forest Management Policy.^[21][22][23] The policy was cautiously received by NGOs and third party organisations. Greenpeace suspended its campaign against APRIL and announced it would be “watching closely to make sure that today’s announcement leads to real change on the ground.”^[24] World Wide Fund for Nature also expressed that they cautiously welcomed APRIL’s enhanced Sustainable Forest Management Policy.^[25]

APRIL provides a Grievance Resolution Procedure and a dashboard to monitor all grievance handling process in their website.^[26]

Criticism and Controversies

Environmental Impact

APRIL has been criticised by NGOs for contributing to deforestation in Indonesia. In 2001, Friends of the Earth accused APRIL of fuelling the deforestation of Indonesia.^[3]

In June 2015, APRIL promised to halt deforestation^[27] and announced its enhanced Sustainable Forest Management Policy. As part of the new sustainability policy, APRIL said it was moving up by four years its plans to harvest only wood from its own plantations.^[28]

Forest Stewardship Certification

On Aug 8, 2013, Germany-based non-profit ceritfication organisation Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) announced that it has ended all association with APRIL after a complain filed by NGOs Greenpeace International, Rainforest Action Network and WWF Indonesia alleging violation of FSC’s Policy of Association.^[29]

In response, APRIL in a press statement, said that they “proactively withdrew from FSC certification of their own volition” earlier in July.^[30] As of April 2016, the company is seeking re-certification with FSC.^[31]

Fire and Haze Issues and Management

In 2013, APRIL was named one of the eight companies responsible for sending hazardous level of smog to Singapore and Malaysia.^[32]

APRIL invests in fire prevention and suppression. The company invests more than $6 million in fire fighting equipment and maintains a 700-member rapid response team.^[33] In 2015, it pioneered the Fire-Free Village Programme,^[34][35][36] an incentive-based initiative that involves working at the community level to encourage alternatives to fire as a land management tool.^[37] Under this program, APRIL also conducts community education campaign, monitors air quality and even hires and trains people to be Village Crew Leaders to spread "no-burn" message. ^[38]

In 2016, APRIL became a founding member of the Fire Free Alliance, a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform for members to share information and resources to fight forest fires in Southeast Asia. One programme implemented by the Fire Free Alliance is the Fire-Free Village Programme.^[39] In May 2016 APRIL, through its subsidiary PT RAPP, is one of private companies involved in Indonesian Government's pilot project to establish forest fire prevention procedures.^[40]

References

External links

• Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited Company site.
• Paper Tiger. A documentation on APRIL as part of the 101 East program of Al Jazeera English (video, 25 mins)
• April Dialog. Facts and perspectives about forestry in Indonesia and APRIL's activities and practices