One year ago the second largest Indonesian paper company APRIL published a “Sustainable Forest Management Policy”, to try to regain customers it had lost because of its unsustainable impacts on the environment, on local communities and on the global climate. But NGOs say the policy doesn’t address APRIL’s impacts, and has not even been properly implemented. Deforestation and social conflict continues.

‘After one year, we really do not see the significance of their policy. The commitments and the realities do not make sense. They are simply implementing business as usual,’ said Muslim Rasyid, Coordinator of Jikalahari, in a note published by Eyes on the Forest.

‘APRIL in 2011 already told Government its expanded pulp mill would no longer source any MTH by the end of 2014. APRIL should simply realize that plan. Pushing its zero MTH target year to 2019 may suggest that APRIL either is producing more pulp than legally authorized or its plantations are performing very poorly. We need full disclosure," said Muslim.

NGOs field report in Sumatra and Borneo have repeatedly exposed APRIL suppliers continuing deforestation in breach of the new policy. NGO findings are confirmed by an independent audit commissioned by APRIL’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee commissioned to KPMG, to report on APRIL’s progress on its commitments. According to an Update for APRIL customers released by Greenpeace: “The KPMG audit found that not a single concession complied with the policy”  (the audit is not public but has been leaked anonymously). 

Aditya Bayunanda of WWF-Indonesia said, "We question the real conservation benefit of the implementation of this policy. APRIL’s HCV protection process continues to be flawed and NGOs continue to find natural forest clearance and canal developments by APRIL without HCV Resource Network peer-reviewed assessment."