Odd claim in Fast Company commentary on Brazil’s Amazon logging plan

A Fast Company commentary on Brazil’s plan to begin granting logging concessions in the Amazon concludes with some puzzling remarks.

Author Ariel Schwartz writes:

Legitimate corporations like Sinar Mas Group’s Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) are often accused of unsustainable logging practices in the Amazon. But it’s better than the alternative.

First, Asia Pulp & Paper does not operate in the Amazon—its primary tropical fiber suppliers are in Indonesia.

Second, calling Sinar Mas Group’s Asia Pulp & Paper “legitimate” is open to interpretation. Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has been criticized by the full gamut of environmental groups ranging from local NGOs to activist groups like Greenpeace to big conservation organizations like WWF. It has run afoul of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), losing the right to use the certification initiative’s ecolabel on its products, as well as the Rainforest Alliance. Finally, in what in perhaps the most damning sign of its lack of commitment to sustainability, the APP has hired a notorious front group, World Growth International, to help with its PR efforts to convince its former customers into again buying its products. While APP claims to be taking steps toward improving its environmental performance, its actions and marketing efforts strongly suggest toward another objective: greenwashing.

Schwartz did not respond to a request for clarification.

Author: Mongabay

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