Over the past decade, Indonesia’s deforestation rate has significantly declined, including in the pulp and palm oil sectors. But now commodity-driven deforestation is making a resurgence in Indonesia according to recent spatial analysis. PT Mayawana Persada which operates a pulpwood concession in West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo, is leading Indonesia’s new wave of deforestation. The report provides evidence that these companies are linked with Royal Golden Eagle, a corporate group controlled by Sukanto Tanoto that owns the second large paper company in Indonesia: APRIL.

A plantation project in Papua has destroyed thousands of hectares of rainforest and decimated the traditional food sources of indigenous peoples, an investigation by The Gecko Project found. Indonesian government support for biomass project raises questions over the consistency of its climate change policies.

 A new investigative report, Pulping Borneo, finds that the Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) Group, the world’s largest viscose producer and major paper products company, continues to rely on deforestation in its supply chain despite a high-profile commitment to “No-Deforestation”. The report, co-published by five organizations, also reveals a chain of offshore shell companies pointing to RGE Group control behind a new mega-scale pulp mill in North Kalimantan, putting some of the world’s largest remaining rainforests at risk. 

Investigation reveals giant North America pulp and forestry company's links to deforestation and social conflicts through ownership structure. A new report released today by the Environmental Paper Network, together with Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and Woods & Wayside International reveals in new detail the corporate ownership of Paper Excellence, which is about to become the largest pulp and forestry company in Canada. The investigation exposes a complex ownership structure with links leading to the notorious Sinar Mas Group, an Indonesia-based private corporation linked to extensive deforestation and social conflict.

To contrast deforestation, the European Union is developing a new draft of regulation to assure the import of deforestation-free products. Europe consumes around 10% of all commodities that are driving deforestation. Recently, more than 50 scientists have warned MEPs that a high-level move to water down EU legislation on deforestation could undermine Europe’s net zero emissions plans.