SINGAPORE – Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), one of the firms slammed for the 2015 haze, has been issued a Notice of Temporary Restrictions on its green label by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) as fires from its suppliers’ land have been causing the current haze in the region.
Under this notice, APP is subjected to daily fire response reporting requirements and strict monitoring to ensure effective fire prevention and suppression, for the concession areas managed by the suppliers, said the council on Oct 19.
The suppliers of wood fibre to APP operate concessions in South Sumatra, Indonesia, and have been issued legal notices by the National Environment Agency (NEA) in the latest haze episode.
“SEC takes a serious view of the damaging impact of the haze on the health of the people in Singapore as well as the region, and the environment,” said the council.
Amid the current haze, NEA has issued legal notices to 10 companies in Indonesia requesting that they stop the burning on their land in Indonesia and submit plans to extinguish the fires.
It sent these notices to seven companies on Oct 16, and to three more companies on Oct 19.
Of these 10, four of them – Bumi Andalas Permai, Bumi Mekar Hijau, SBA Wood Industries and Buana Megatama Jaya – have been identified as suppliers to APP, which was among the firms slammed for the record-breaking haze in the region in 2015.
All except Buana Megatama Jaya received similar notices during the 2015 haze crisis, and their cases remain open.
Launched in 2017, the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme (SGLS+) administered by SEC requires certified pulp and paper companies to improve their peatland management and commit to early detection and suppression of fires when they occur, by investing in fire fighting equipment and having a standard operating procedure to assess fire danger rating daily, for example.
Certified companies must also pledge that zero-burning occurs on their plantations.
Under the previous Green Label scheme, certified companies needed only to prove that it used sustainable sources and manufacturing processes.
APP’s SGLS+ certificate may be suspended if its additional reporting is unable to demonstrate that strengthened monitoring, fire prevention and suppression measures are implemented effectively, SEC said on Oct 19.
“If so, the use of the SGLS+ logo on products associated with the certification would have to cease,” said SEC.
During the haze episode in 2015, SEC had suspended the green label on APP products, after NEA listed it as one of the firms it was investigating under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) for links to regional forest fires that led to the haze. THPA targets those responsible for causing or condoning fires.
Supermarkets in Singapore then pulled APP products off the shelves, including the Paseo brand of paper products.
APP received the enhanced (SGLS+) certification in May 2019.