Posted on December, 15 2011

The award of the European Union (EU) Ecolabel to two photocopy papers of Pindo Deli, a subsidiary of Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), has triggered questions and raised concerns among NGOs and buyers committed to sustainable forest management.

APP has a long and continuing history of clearing large areas of natural forest in Sumatra to plant acacia. These include tiger habitat and carbon rich peat land, and the clearing threatens high conservation values and contributes to climate change.

The EU ecolabel provides inadequate assurance that the fibre used in the Pindo Deli Products is sourced from sustainably managed forests and not controversial sources. This is mainly due to structural weaknesses in the Ecolabel standard and its implementation procedures.

WWF recommends that companies buying pulp and paper use the FSC label as the best assurance that the wood fibre in those products was produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Download the attachment for a full WWF position.