French audit firm AFNOR to carried out an investigation into copying and graphic paper produced by APP’s Pindo Deli manufacturing centre, its pulp and pulpwood suppliers in Indonesia.
In a statement published on the official European Commission website it says, “The Audit clearly proves that there was full compliance with the criteria of the EU Ecolabel for copying and graphic paper valid at the time, especially on criterion 3 – sustainable forest management.”
Also commenting, Aida Greenbury, managing director of APP says, “We are delighted that APP?s copying and graphic products will continue to carry the EU Ecolabel, which is only awarded to the very best environmentally-friendly products.
“APP welcomed the AFNOR audit as an opportunity to disprove any suggestions of non-compliant practices in our manufacturing centres made by international NGO, FERN.”
The investigation comes following a report by released by environmental NGO Fern which claimed Ecolabel criteria for sustainable forest management for copy & graphic paper were weak and not adequate to ensure that the most egregious forest operations are excluded.
Last year the group also claimed that the EU Ecolabel award process is non-transparent and the EU Ecolabel should be withdrawn for Pindo Deli’s brands of photocopy paper.
Some of the key findings of the EU audit were:
It was proven that 88 per cent of the fibre in the products came from APP’s own plantation forests, in compliance with the forest management program administered by the Indonesian Government. The remaining 12 per cent consisted of fibre from sustainably-managed certified sources.
Virgin fibre used in the products came from forests managed under the principles of sustainable management.
Chain of Custody Certificates were provided for each (external) supplier of pulp. The audit validated by checking invoices or documents related to the delivery that the pulp was made up of fibres from certified forests.
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