September 10, 2025 – Environmental Paper Network (EPN) International and Jikalahari, an Indonesian network of NGOs, released a paper highlighting the failure of Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) to implement their green policies.
The paper is being released as APP, one of the world’s largest companies, unveils a new sustainability policy in Jakarta — essentially a rerun of promises it made a decade ago but has largely failed to deliver on. Back in February 2013, after decades of environmental conflict and as major brands cut ties with the company, APP launched its Forest Conservation Policy. Yet, a decade later, the company has since failed to adequately address legacy issues across its suppliers’ concessions. Investigations by environmental organizations have documented widespread deforestation, human rights abuses, and violations of environmental laws. Notably, APP-linked operations emit greenhouse gases at levels comparable to a developed nation, while their concessions are frequently sites of catastrophic peatland fires.
According to the paper released today, despite all its broadly announced commitments, APP remains a key driver of deforestation, human rights abuses, social conflict, and large climate emissions in Southeast Asia, operating under a veil of corporate obfuscation. Ten years after its headline-grabbing conservation pledge, the company’s environmental promises have largely been “pulped.” Without transparency, reform, and robust enforcement, APP’s legacy of destruction will continue.
- APP’s Forest Conservation Policy has failed: Despite public commitments, APP continues to engage in deforestation, peatland draining and exploitation, and unsustainable practices. Violations are widespread, ongoing, and systemic across its operations and supply chains.
- Corporate obfuscation enables impunity: APP’s complex and opaque corporate structure—coupled with misleading claims about independence between its subsidiaries—has allowed it to continue destructive practices while avoiding regulatory and market accountability.
- FSC’s credibility is undermined: APP-controlled companies like Domtar and Resolute have retained FSC certification despite clear evidence of ownership ties. This calls into question the integrity of FSC’s certification and due diligence processes.
- Human rights violations persist: APP and its affiliates and suppliers have been responsible for serious and continuing human rights abuses, including land grabbing, harassment, forced evictions, and violent suppression of community resistance. These issues have not yet been resolved.
- Climate harm is accelerating: APP’s operations contribute significantly to climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indonesia’s haze crisis. The continued use and drainage of peatlands and the replanting of fire-affected areas with acacia exacerbate ecological damage.
Corporate buyers and investors should avoid doing business with APP until full transparency is achieved and all environmental and social harms are fully addressed in line with plans agreed through free, prior, and informed consent.
Download here: Old habits Die Hard – Fresh Cuts: APP’s Continuing Violations Exposed
