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 The rainforests of Indonesia are the most biodiverse in the world. Surprisingly, pulp and paper accounts for about 50% of forest exports from Indonesia where about 4.5 million acres are logged each year.
Much of this logging occurs illegally, and an even larger
portion is conducted in an unsustainable manner. Indonesia’s
diverse tropical forests support an ecosystem that contains 10%
of the earth’s flowering plant species, 12% of all mammal
species, 17% of all reptile and amphibian species, and 17% of
all bird species. These forests also provide habitat for some of
the world’s most endangered species including orangutan,
Sumatran rhinoceroses and Sumatran tigers.
People
 Tens of millions of people also rely on these forests for a
traditional means of sustenance. Though Indonesia’s constitution
specifically acknowledges the rights of local communities to
practice traditional forest management, many communities have
been forced off their land by logging companies. Protests from
villagers have been suppressed, often violently, by police and
military officials with close financial ties to the logging
industry. Human Rights Watch has issued a report detailing human
rights abuses associated with Indonesia’s pulp and paper
industry.
As is detailed in the report Indonesia Under Pressure, U.S.
publishers printing books in Asia or using newsprint
manufactured there are likely to be using paper sourced from
Indonesia’s rainforests. More information about Indonesia and
ways publishers can minimize impacts in endangered forests are
available at the links below.
Relevant Resources
Presentations from the BIEC Roundtable: Indonesian Pulp and Paper and Overseas Manufacturing: Addressing Risks and Developing Solutions On October 21, 2010, the Book Industry Environmental Council hosted a roundtable for U.S. publishers and Asian printers and Print brokers to discuss the risks associated with pulp and paper from Indonesia. Below are combined notes from the discussion groups as well as the PowerPoint presentations from each of the presenters:
Indonesia Roundtable Discussion Notes (pdf)
Christopher Barr, Woods and Wayside International (ppt)
Corey Brinkema, FSC US (ppt)
Lafcadio Cortesi, Rainforest Action Network (ppt)
Lisa Serra, Scholastic (ppt)
Watch the GPI Webcast: The Challenges and Opportunities of Printing in Asia
Slides From GPI Webcast: The Challenges and Opportunities of Printing in Asia
GPI Overseas Paper Risk Analysis Tool: http://www.greenpressinitiative.org/documents/riskassessment.xls
Eyes on the Forest Report: Business as Usual in Riau, Sumatra: Pulp Industry Continues Clearance of Natural Forest (PDF)
Rainforest Action Network Report: Turning the Page on Rainforest Destruction (PDF)
WWF Report: Deforestation, Forest Degradation, Biodiversity Loss and CO2 Emissions in Riau, Sumatra, Indonesia
WWF Paper Toolbox
Greenpeace Report: "How Sinar Mas is Pulping the planet" (PDF)
Asian Pulp & Paper Summary Factsheet: The True Price of Low-Cost Paper, A Brief for U.S. Companies about Sinar Mas Group/Asia Pulp & Paper
Suggested Contract Language for Overseas Suppliers
(Coming Soon)
Supplier Footprint Survey-Indonesia A survey publishers can provide to suppliers to gain a deeper understanding of the suppliers footprint on Indonesia's Endangered Forests
Guidelines for Printing in Asia
Recommended guidelines for publishers who print books in Asia,
or source paper from Asia.
Indonesia Under Pressure A Report
developed by the Green Press Initiative illustrating the
environmental and social impacts that occur in Indonesia as a
result of printing books in, or sourcing newsprint from Asia.
Banks Pulp and People: Impacts in Indonesia An In depth look at the pulp and paper
industry, its social and environmental impacts around the world
and the role banks play in financing and encouraging
unsustainable practices.
“Forest Loss in Sumatra Becomes a Global Issue” An
article from the New York Times which looks at the pulp and
paper industry’s role in deforestation in Indonesia, and the
resulting impacts on climate change.
Without Remedy: Human Rights Abuses and Indonesia’s Pulp and
Paper Industry A detailed report on the human rights
abuses that occur in Indonesia as a result of corrupt practices
in the country’s pulp and paper industry.
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