SUSTAINABILITY
More than ever before, there is a greater emphasis on the transparency of timber legality and traceability standards from those countries importing these products, including the European Union
development on peatland, and community engagement in the plantation development process. Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), one of the country’s most prominent pulp and paper producers, piloted the SVLK chain of custody certification with one of its mills and associated pulpwood suppliers in 2009. This rigorous chain of custody certification supports Indonesia’s efforts to ensure wood products exported from the country are legal. APP has a policy to embrace all credible certification standards, which are relevant to, and in support of, Indonesia’s law and regulations and henceforth, strives to meet the highest standards that are expected by customers and partners worldwide. To ensure that demand continues to grow for APP’s pulp and paper products, the company is seeking to be recognised by several global certification standards. Consequently, APP has recently created an ambitious roadmap for sustainable practice by partnering with Carbon Conservation, an environmental and sustainability consulting firm. Called Vision 2020, this roadmap encompasses initiatives and goals related to sustainable forestry management and paper manufacturing, conservation of biodiversity and wildlife protection, clean manufacturing and social welfare. As part of Vision 2020, APP commits to sourcing 100% of its pulpwood supply from sustainable plantation stock by the end of 2015; achieving the Government of Indonesia’s mandatory SFM certification for APP’s pulpwood suppliers by the end of 2015; and having all exclusive pulpwood suppliers achieve the comprehensive and voluntary-
based LEI (Indone¬sia Ecolabelling Institute) certification standard by the end of 2020. Thus, APP will achieve 100% SFM certification by the end of 2020. Vision 2020 will instil confidence in customers worldwide that Indonesia and APP are serious about their commitment to SFM principles and protection of its supply chain from illegal wood. The goals have been created as APP faces obstacles related to the clarity of its certification standards used across the world. APP believes that there needs to be a level playing field, with fair trade granted on a reciprocal basis and where governments refrain from passing legislation that effectively restricts Indonesia’s right and opportunity to compete. Beyond these Indonesian
regulations and standards, APP continues to undertake internal audits and certification mandates to meet other forest certification standards.
The origins of global standards Certification was created as a stamp to verify a company’s or country’s products are developed in a sustainable, environmentally, and socially responsible manner. Initial certification schemes (ISO9001, and ISO14001) created in the late 1970s helped facilitate a common global level of understanding on how to measure environmental performance, allowing organisations to meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders. However, from the mid-1990s, the picture becomes more confusing as myriad standards appeared. These include EU Flower, ISO4064, ISI1404O, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Program for the Endorsement of Forest
Indonesia’s forestry sector is a large part of the country’s economic strength
Certification (PEFC), Ecolabelling Institute of Indonesia (LEI) and Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council (SGEC).
Today, there are many sustainable forest management and chain of custody certification standards for pulpwood, pulp and paper industries worldwide, however many of these standards do not always reflect the reality of the industry and the requirement to balance economic and environmental sustainability. Creating a sustainable balance between economic, environmental and social factors is a major challenge for pulp and paper industries.
Secondly, another major
hindrance to the creation of a level playing field is that each certification scheme has its own unique criteria that addresses different aspects of the supply chain. This reveals a challenge for APP to compliment international standards due to a pre-existing lack of clarity in global certification standards.
For example, only two of the
certification bodies – FSC and PEFC – are truly international schemes and could be used to fairly apply standards to all countries around the world. However, with a disproportionate percentage of certified forests found in North America and Europe compared to emerging markets, only PEFC is actively working with companies in emerging markets around the world to achieve forest certification.
This is because FSC uses the
Principle 10.9, better known as the 1994 Rule, and its Policy of Association. This rule prohibits certification of any forests for plantations established post 1994, which was the year FSC was founded, and coincidently, the year when most large scale plantations started to develop in emerging economies. As a result of these prohibitions, this has effectively eliminated Indonesia and many other developing countries around the world from the market. At the same time, it protects the interests of older,
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011 | International Forest Industries 63
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