Does your toilet paper cause rain forest destruction?
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A new Eyes on the Forest coalition report and other recent NGO reports from Indonesia raise serious concerns that APP’s new forest conservation policy issued in February 2013 lacks essential, meaningful commitments for natural forest and peat soil restoration. According to the reports, APP issued its new policy only after its Sumatran suppliers finished most of their planned deforestation.
In Riau Province, where APP’s largest mill is located, what’s left of province’s remaining forests is either protected by law (89%) or by previous company commitments (8%).The report challenges APP to commit to forest and peat rehabilitation and to much greater transparency about its operations, especially about its expansion plans.
WWF renews its call for paper buyers to avoid APP products until:
- APP commits to restoration for the most sensitive peatlands, high conservation value areas, and essential wildlife habitats that have been devastated by the company and its suppliers’ operations.
- APP commits to solve social conflicts based on external, truly independent third party expert advice including Indonesian civil society organizations.
- APP sets May 5, 2013 as a hard deadline for all mills associated with APP to stop accepting tropical forest fiber to show that APP is serious about its new policy and leaves no room for abuse.
- APP provides full transparency on all its suppliers’ concessions and its expansion plans.
- APP gives civil society unconditional access for truly independent third party monitoring.
In March 2012, WWF launched a campaign asking 20 U.S. grocery chains believed to be the top buyers of toilet paper connected to tiger forest destruction to remove Paseo brand toilet paper from their grocery store shelves. Paseo was known to be made from fiber supplied by Asia Pulp & Paper(APP), a company causing rain forest destruction in Sumatra. This company and its affiliates have pulped more than five million acres of natural forests in Sumatra, which includes land that is essential to the survival of tigers and other species.
Thousands of WWF supporters spoke up and took action in support of this campaign, and by April, 17 of the 20 companies took action and removed Paseo from their store shelves. This was followed by a decision by the manufacturer of Paseo to stop selling the toilet paper brand across the United States. By signing our petitions, becoming a mystery shopper, and spreading the word, the companies heard your voice and stopped sourcing Paseo until APP changes its practices.
In October 2012, Dollar General confirmed that it has made a commitment to stop sourcing both paper towels and tissue from Sumatra’s forests for its private label brands. They recognize that they can have a positive impact in saving critical tiger, elephant and orangutan habitat.
Livi, another brand made from fiber supplied by Asia Pulp & Paper, remains in U.S. hotels, restaurants and schools. Since 1985, more than half of Sumatra’s natural forests—an area greater in size than the state of Virginia—have been lost due to conversion to pulp plantations for tissue and paper.
WWF supports responsible pulp and paper production, efficient paper use, and the use of paper products made with fiber from responsibly managed forests, plantations and recycled sources.
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