Indonesia’s Asia Pulp and Paper Group (APP) has made “moderate progress” on fulfilling its ambitious Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) announced two years ago, but the company must do more to stop deforestation in its concessions by third parties, protect peatlands, and resolve social conflicts. These are the findings of a new audit report released...by...Rainforest Alliance, which was asked by APP to assess their efforts to implement its forest policy, which pledged to preserve forested areas and peatlands, respect community rights, and ensure that third-party suppliers also practice responsible forest management.

APP welcomed the report. Aida Greenbury, APP’s managing director, said in a post on the company website that “this evaluation provides invaluable feedback and it is encouraging to see that in many areas, our progress is acknowledged and verified”. The report affirms that the company’s efforts to achieve zero deforestation are “on the right track”, she added in a statement. In response to the report, APP launched a new FCP Implementation Plan...This plan prioritises preventing third-party forest clearance on APP concessions, managing wildfires better, developing peatland management strategies, and strengthening social conflict and FPIC systems, among others.