Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills Ltd (APPM) has been awarded the coveted Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) Chain-of-Custody (COC) Certificate for its responsible sourcing of pulpwood fibre for manufacture of pulp and paper.
Chain-of-Custody Certification guarantees that wood is coming from known legal sources or responsibly managed forests. FSC Chain of Custody allows credible tracking of FSC material from the fiber source, through all successive stages of the production process, to committed retailers and consumers.
APPM’s Farm Forestry Program, started in 1989 has been able to achieve plantations with species having nitrogen fixation abilities on more than 100,000 hectares of marginal, fallow and degraded waste lands across coastal Andhra Pradesh making it, the only Paper Manufacturer in India to achieve this milestone. The forestation activities of APPM have created more than 75 million man days of employment for the poorest sections of society with a majority of employment being generated for tribal folk and women. APPM’s efforts have also been recognized by the government with the conferring of “Van Mitra Award for exceptional contribution in Afforestation”
Commenting on the occasion, Ms. Sheetal Bangur, Director APPM said “This award is a testimony to the effort we have made over the years for responsible sourcing of pulpwood fibre. With the award of the FSC COC Certification, APPM has established itself as one of the few integrated pulp and paper manufacturing companies in world with responsible forestry practices and the highest social and environmental values. APPM continues with its efforts towards sustainability in raw material sourcing with the plantation of 100 million multipurpose tree species in 2010.”
