(MintPress) – International environmentalist organization Greenpeace announced a landmark victory in the fight against deforestation this week after the Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) Company, the world’s third largest paper manufacturer, decided they would cease logging in Indonesia’s vast rainforests.
This announcement is a sign of hope for environmentalists seeking to preserve rainforests that are home to thousands of unique flora and endangered species imperiled by APP’s logging across tens of thousands of hectares of land in the region.
The Indonesian rainforest is home to the last 400 Sumatran Tigers remaining in the wild. Orangutans are also critically endangered with fewer than 7,000 still in their original habitats.
The sudden shift in corporate policy was made possible through broad awareness campaigns drawing attention to the mass deforestation supported by Western corporations purchasing APP products.
One petition, boycott and expose at a time
Launched in 2010, the Greenpeace initiative criticised KFC, Pizza Hut, Tesco, Mattel, Hasbro, Lego and Disney, among others, that bought paper products from APP. By applying consumer pressure through reports, boycotts, and petitions the campaign appears to have been successful.
In 2011, the “Chainsaw Barbie” campaign targeting Mattel showed that the toy manufacturer used APP packaging for many of their children’s toys. Over half a million individuals signed on to the initiative, convincing Mattel executives to end their company’s relationship with APP.
The consumer boycotts, divestments, and public actions culminated in what could be a landmark victory if APP commits to ending all operations in the Indonesian rainforest.
APP announced their new ‘Forest Conservation Policy’ at a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday. Teguh Wijaya, the chairman of the company officially endorsed the policy and pledged commitments to work with several external organizations, including The Forest Trust and Asia Pacific Consulting to ensure that the new policies are properly implemented.
However Greenpeace and other environmentalist organizations caution that actions still speak louder than words, as APP’s previous track record should serve as ample reminder to remain optimistic but wary of corporate promises.
Before the announcement Tuesday, APP had been responsible for years of environmental destruction in Indonesia’s Rainforest.
“The reality is that APP has already cleared the majority of forests in its supply chain to make way for plantations. A lot of forest has been lost for that expansion, tens of thousands of hectares per year in recent years,” Greenpeace announced in a recent online.