APRIL Group has published its 2018 Sustainability Report, which features a comprehensive review of the progress made over the year in the implementation of the company’s sustainability commitments. The following is an abridged version of the opening message in the Sustainability Report, by Praveen Singhavi, President, APRIL Group.
The year 2018 was one of rapidly evolving global dynamics. Rising consumer demand in our key markets went hand in hand with growing consciousness of the impact of climate change and of the urgency for collective action. The expectation that business must play an important role in helping the global community reach the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global climate targets is at the forefront of this consciousness.
In this context, companies, including APRIL, are being encouraged to stretch beyond current commitments and gear for longer-term sustainable business and community development, underpinned by a holistic landscape model.
We have embraced this challenge, building on the solid foundations provided by our Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP) 2.0, while also looking ahead to how we can be an enduring part of the solution for community, climate, customers, country and our company in a way that is true to our founder’s 5Cs vision.
While the implementation of our SFMP 2.0 and its independent oversight remains critical to us, the transformative opportunity is to extend further our commitments.
An important step has been to increasingly embed our approach to sustainable forest management across our supply chain. Our sustainability team has been working in cross-functional ways across our operations, including sustainability professionals, forestry experts, scientists and research personnel.
We completed the first phase of a pivotal project with PwC involving an in-depth assessment of our baseline impact in Riau Province, using the SDGs as a framework. The value of this process lies in the identification of the Goals and targets where we have the most potential to have a catalytic impact, based on the assessed needs of the province and its communities where we operate and where it counts most.
Another milestone during the year was the five-year anniversary of our ecosystem restoration efforts through Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER) – we believe this to be one of the best examples of collaboration in Asia to protect and restore a vital peatland landscape. Our overall approach for RER has created a potential model for others to follow, as the UN gears up for its Decade of Restoration. Our focus will be on communicating and sharing our knowledge and lessons learned.
Science and research remain a cornerstone of our efforts to meet our commitments. We continued to invest in science internally and in association with our independent advisors during the year, particularly through the Independent Peat Expert Working Group (IPEWG).
This year’s Sustainability Report also gives attention to APRIL’s continued improvement in operational efficiency, particularly our mill’s energy and water-use and increasing the use of renewable fuel sources. The thirst for continuous improvement is key to maintaining our production facilities as among the most efficient and self-sufficient in the world.
We remain committed to the implementation of our Sustainable Forest Management Policy and will continue to improve on the independent verification and transparency of our progress. We are also cognizant of the need to respond to the increasingly critical global mandate to meet the 2030 goals within science-determined climate targets.
It is this context that will inform how we evolve our approach to sustainability and aim beyond current commitments consistent with the global imperative. We are excited about this opportunity and we look forward to working with our stakeholders to continue to evolve our sustainability vision.
Read Advancing Sustainably, Sustainability Report 2018
