Background - 26 November, 2011
From indiscriminate clearance of Sumatra's peat swamp forests to Asia Pulp & Paper’s expanding global empire
Why the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) must act to prevent the pulp sector in Indonesia driving ramin and Sumatran tigers closer to extinction
This investigation documents illegal ramin – an internationally protected tree species – at Asia Pulp & Paper's largest pulp mill and unravels its supply chains to global markets and corporate brands. Video footage and forensic evidence obtained during this investigation is being made available to the appropriate domestic and international authorities – the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry and the CITES Secretariat in Geneva.
Major companies like Barnes&Noble, Walmart, and many others are using APP paper - tell them all to act now »
Ramin trees are legally protected under Indonesia’s laws and its national CITES regulations. Sumatra’s peat swamp forests are a key ramin habitat. Since Indonesia banned the logging and trade in ramin in 2001, more than one quarter of this ramin habitat has been cleared – much of this from areas currently supplying APP. APP and the ramin ban »
Extensive evidence gathered during a year-long undercover investigation at APP’s main pulp mill in Indonesia, Indah Kiat Perawang, exposes how illegal ramin logs are regularly mixed in with other rainforest species in its pulpwood supply. Ramin at APP's flagship mill »
The investigation identifies the APP paper mills in Indonesia and China with which the Indah Kiat Perawang pulp mill trades. Fibre testing of products from these mills reveals their use of fibre from rainforest clearance. Products from these mills are traded internationally. From APP's pulp mill to the ends of the Earth »
The investigation identifies the global market for paper products from APP paper mills in Indonesia and China. These products are traded to the vast majority of countries that are signatories to the CITES treaty. These APP mills supply copy paper, packaging, books and other paper products containing rainforest fibre to companies which included Xerox, National Geographic and Danone -- until we took action and they committed to change their sourcing policies. The scale of APP's global trade »
Although Indonesia’s ramin is an internationally protected species, its habitat continues to be cleared – driving it and other threatened species such as Sumatran tigers closer to extinction. Ramin logs from this clearance are being mixed in with numerous other rainforest logs to feed the pulp and paper sector. To tackle this problem, action is needed by government and industry to protect peat swamp forests and to stamp out the illegal logging and trade of ramin. Call for action »
Major companies like Barnes&Noble, Walmart and many others are using APP paper - tell them all to act now »
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