The company only took this decision because of public pressure, Greenpeace says

Feb 5, 2013 21:31 GMT  ·  By

Both the environmentalists working with Greenpeace and other nature enthusiasts worldwide are now busy celebrating the fact that paper giant APP (i.e. Asia Pulp & Paper) has finally agreed to cut its ties with deforestation.

It is Greenpeace's belief that the company's decision to begin paying closer attention to how its working agenda impacts on the environment is the direct result of several green-oriented campaigns led by the organization itself and backed up by the general public.

More precisely, this group of environmentalists are quite convinced that, if it had not been for the public pressure APP found itself subjected to, the company would have never changed its ways and would have stuck to simply making promises that it had no intention of keeping.

“We could not have got to this point without many of you, around the world, who helped to persuade dozens of well-known brands to suspend contracts with APP,” Greenpeace says.

Furthermore, “This sent the message to the company that simply spending more on PR efforts was not going to change its reputation or bring back lost customers.”

Thus, despite the fact the APP's cutting all possible ties with deforestation might stem from financial considerations alone, the fact remains that the environment still has a lot to gain.

Apparently, APP's new Forest Conservation Policy, rolled out only yesterday, says that the company's supply chain is from now on to put an end to all forest clearances.

As well as this, it looks like APP is already working with organizations such as The Forest Trust and Asia Pacific Consulting to make sure its latest environmental commitments are implemented as promised.

For the time being, Greenpeace has agreed to drop its campaign against APP.

“We very much hope that the company will use this time to also work with other stakeholders to find solutions which both protect forests for the long term and which can help resolve social conflicts. Greenpeace has, for now, taken the decision to suspend its campaign against APP. We will be reviewing progress by the company and reviewing this decision at regular intervals,” the organization stated.