Asia Pulp and Paper is an international paper and pulp company, currently headquartered in Singapore. It has a broad product range in which it makes finished products from paper, cardboard, tissue paper, and others. The company has a strong focus on environmental sustainability.
Environmental benefits of Asia pulp and paper
Below are the benefits of Asia pulp and paper from environmental aspects:
- Reduce CO2 Emissions:
The company cut down its greenhouse gas emissions significantly by switching to 100% renewable energy. Currently, the company’s carbon footprint is less than 2 tons of CO2 per year. As Asia Pulp and Paper aims to reduce carbon emissions by 15% from the 2012 baseline, it plans to become carbon neutral in 2020 from its Singapore base.
- Environmentally friendly products:
The company’s re-fill material for pulp machines, for instance, is made from 65% recycled materials and the rest from 100% green energy. The company also uses paper from 100% recycled sources to make paperboard boxes and corrugated containers to reduce the amount of petroleum extracted in the pulping process. It also uses a product called ‘end oil’ in its papermaking process (inactive oil not used during the production of the paper but is suitable for use as a binding agent in the product).
- Recyclable waste:
The company has introduced a new technology, dubbed KLEEN LINER, a commercial alternative to plastic bags. Asia Pulp and Paper plans to give out 3 billion such paper bags over the next four years in China and Indonesia. The company also has a plant for recycling wastewater.
- Protecting wildlife biodiversity:
The company has started a project called Tiger Times (a play on words) to protect tigers in Indonesian coastal areas and Sumatra by preventing poaching and reducing deforestation caused by the company’s pulpwood plantations in these areas. It builds tiger conservation fences, protects habitat, guards against poachers, and conducts tiger population surveys as well as monitoring efforts with its environmental NGO partners.
- Local community development:
The company has started a credit guarantee program that helps small business owners in Indonesia to develop and grow their businesses. Financial support is provided if the start-up business is involved in environmentally and socially responsible activities.
- Promoting environmentally friendly paper products:
Asia Pulp and Paper supports the use of paper bags instead of plastic bags and encourages the use of recycled paper for notebooks. The “Go Green Initiative” is also a part of this campaign which involves having schools, as well as educational institutions, cut down on waste by having recycling bins and providing them with environmentally friendly products.
- Contribute to wildlife conservation:
The company has made a pledge to contribute USD7 million in support of wildlife conservation, with one-third of the money going toward supporting tiger range resilience, one-third towards elephant protection, conservation, and management, and the other third will go toward Rhino protection.
Conclusion
As a global company, Asia Pulp & Paper needs to play an active role in conserving the environment for the sake of its future growth. The company has shown that it is willing to make some sacrifices in order to meet its environmental goals and make environmentally-friendly products.
