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8 INDUSTRY NEWS


APRIL commits to end deforestation in Indonesia


world’s largest producers of pulp and paper, to end deforestation in Indonesia has been welcomed by environmental group Greenpeace. The move is part of APRIL’s


T


Sustainable Forest Management Plan. “This is a major step in our 15-year sustainability journey. This is about elimination of deforestation from our supply chain and builds on our long- standing commitment to conservation. We are delivering on conservation, social and economic benefits for Indonesia and a sustainable future for the company and our customers,” said president of APRIL Praveen Singhavi.


Pulp and paper manufacturers


including APRIL have been criticised for failing to stop deforestation and destruction of carbon-rich peatlands in Indonesia. Plantations covering around


480,000 hectares are owned by APRIL which has now conserved about 320,000 hectares of natural forest area in Indonesia.


he decision by Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL), one of the


Deforestation for the


production pulp and paper, along with palm oil, is a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia, says Greenpeace. If properly implemented, it says, APRIL’s pledge will prove to be another major step by business towards protecting Indonesia’s rainforests and peatlands. APRIL’s parent company, the


Royal Golden Eagle group, also said that new sustainability policies will be implemented by all other pulp companies in the group, including an end to deforestation. Greenpeace is suspending its campaign to give APRIL and other RGE group companies time to put these new policies into practice. “We commend APRIL


for agreeing to end its deforestation, although we will be watching closely to make sure that [the] announcement leads to real change on the ground,” said Bustar Maitar, Head of Greenpeace’s Forest Campaign in Indonesia. “The commitment from APRIL and the RGE Group is yet more proof that forest protection is the way forward for plantation companies in Indonesia.”


APRIL’s announcement follows


similar decisions by other major players in the pulp and palm oil sectors to protect Indonesia’s forests and peatlands. In September, some of the biggest palm oil producers in Indonesia, including APRIL’s sister companies Asian Agri and Apical, agreed to end deforestation. Equally, there is growing support from the business community in Indonesia for a development model based on forest protection. “President Jokowi promised


to stop plantation companies damaging the environment or harming communities. Yet even though Indonesia’s biggest pulpwood and palm oil companies are moving away from deforestation, the destruction on the ground continues. The government must now act to reform the forest sector so it works for people and the environment,” said Maitar. APRIL’s pulp and paper mill


at Pangkalan Kerinci in Riau Province has capacity to produce 2.8 million tonnes of pulp and 850,000 tonnes of paper per year


PaperWorks on acquisition trail in US


North American paperboard packaging supplier PaperWorks Industries has agreed to acquire Canada’s CanAmPac, which is based in Napanee, Ontario. The acquisition includes coated recycled board (CRB) producer


July/August 2015


Strathcona Paper, folding carton manufacturer Boehmer Box and LYFT Visual graphic services. “CanAmPac is a leading Canadian integrated paperboard and consumer packaging supplier. Its quality-oriented manufacturing


and converting capabilities, coupled with a complementary customer base, make it an ideal addition to the PaperWorks portfolio,” said Kevin Kwilinski, chief executive of PaperWorks, which is based in Pennsylvania.


Pulp Paper & Logistics


News in brief


Production of paper and board in Europe declined by 0.2 percent in 2014 to 91.1 million tonnes, according to the latest statistics from the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI). This was much less than the cumulative fall of 4 per cent between 2010 and 2013. Consumption of paper and board was up by 0.9 per cent in 2014 year-on-year at 77.1 million tonnes, after three years of decline. Market pulp production fell by 1.4 per cent compared to 2013, with an output of 13.2 million tonnes. Graphic grades represented 40.5 per cent of all paper and board produced in Europe, packaging grades 47.5 per cent, sanitary and household papers 7.7 per cent and speciality grades 4.3 per cent.


The pulp and paper industry has welcomed the European Parliament’s calls for the European Commission to address issues covering renewable and recyclable materials, such as ending the landfill and incineration of recyclable waste, applying mandatory separate collection schemes and making the bio-economy an integral part of the circular economy. Marco Mensink, director general of the CEPI, said: “The European Parliament has now given a clear mandate for making the bio-economy an integral part of the circular economy. Renewability is nature’s way of circularity, clearly recognized by MEPs in their vote.”


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