RAINFORESTS: APP paper company will halt logging in natural forests

On Tuesday, February 4, 2013, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), the third largest paper company in the world, announced that, beginning immediately, it will no longer log trees from natural forests.  This is according to a February 5 article in The Guardian.

This follows a long campaign waged by environmentalists.

Aida Greenbury, APP’s managing director for sustainability said that it is time to take action against climate change.

This step will benefit the world’s rainforests and wildlife, including the Sumatran tiger and the orangutan.

In 2012, an investigation by Greenpeace led to the finding that endangered trees from the habitat of the Sumatran tiger had been used illegally in APP consumer products.  This led to a number of major clients, including Xerox, KFC UK, and Disney taking their business elsewhere.

The executive director of Greenpeace, John Sauven, called APP’s decision to halt logging in natural forests “highly significant.”  Sinar Mas, of which APP is a part, has interests in palm oil, as well as in pulp and paper. Palm oil plantations are a key contributor to the threat to Indonesian forests and the habitat of the severely endangered orangutan.

Scott Poynton, of Tropical Forest Trust, who helped negotiate the agreement with APP, expressed optimism that working together with the private sector in the future could result in reduced deforestation and greater hope for the world’s forests and wildlife.

Photo: © Yod Miansa-ard | Dreamstime.com

To read the original story in The Guardian, click here.

Thanks to SAI (Save Animals Initiative) Sanctuary Trust for letting us know about this encouraging news. To view their website, click here.