JAKARTA, Indonesia--()--A group of leading companies from the Indonesia Global Compact Network (IGCN) have followed worldwide Earth Day celebrations (April 22nd) by preparing for this year’s United Nations Rio+20 Conference in June, one of the most important summits on sustainable development in recent times.
The Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group, a program under IGCN, hosted a seminar in Jakarta on Monday, April 23, 2012 to discuss a series of water conservation initiatives which will be presented at the Rio+20 Conference. Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) has taken a leading role as Chair of the Working Group.
The Assistant to the Deputy of Inland Water Ecosystem Control, Ministry of Environment Republic of Indonesia, Hermono Sigit provided the opening remarks at Monday’s seminar, which is an important step to raising awareness of Indonesian water initiatives on the global stage of Rio+20.
At the Rio+20 session, APP will present the many water conservation initiatives which have been implemented as part of the Group’s sustainability strategy - including water footprint assessments in all mills, a community-based water supply project in Ujung Kulon National Park, and a community-based water purification system at Giam Siak Kecil – Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve.
Y.W. Junardy, President of IGCN, said, “It is an honor for us to be given a chance to host a session at a Rio+20 side event, on the unique theme of ‘Multi-sector collaborative action in addressing water issues.’ The pressing issue of water scarcity demands commitment from all sectors. It is now time for action.”
In addition to the seminar, there will be a workshop on the International Water Stewardship Standard being developed by the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS). The Standard is designed to promote the use of fresh water that is socially, environmentally and economically beneficial. The Standard will be introduced by Adrian Sym, Executive Director of AWS.
Mr. Sym said, “Our unique value is our ability to drive independently-verified, watershed-level impacts that benefit people, nature and the economy. We will do this through building and implementing an international water stewardship system, at the heart of which will be the AWS Standard.”
The draft Standard focuses around four principles: water governance, water balance, water quality and important water areas. Each principle includes criteria and indicators against which compliance will be measured. The Standard recognizes both performance and process, aiming to both ensure rigor and maximize uptake. The Standard is accompanied with guidance materials for interpretation and, ultimately, a third-party verification system.
“The first draft for the AWS Standard was released at the World Water Forum in Marseille, France, last March. It aims to support water users in taking appropriate actions to evaluate and improve their impacts on watershed. The draft Standard is now open for a formal 90-day public comment period, during which we will also be hearing from stakeholders around the world, including here in Indonesia. This is important for us to get the understanding of how the Standard could be applied in different regions and sectors,” said Adrian Sym.
Mr. Junardy added, “With the presence of the AWS in this seminar, we hope all the multi-stakeholders, including public sector, private sector, NGOs, and academics, could understand the importance of having collaborative actions in order to address water issues in the world.”
Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) is fully in support of the development of a standard for water stewardship that can be applied and implemented in all relevant sectors.
Aida Greenbury, Managing Director, Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement, of APP, said, “We currently implement water conservation programs to maintain the sustainability of water in our daily operations following the principles of the CEO Water Mandate. However, we hope to have a globally applicable standard as a guideline to help us ensure that responsible water stewardship measures are in place to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts.”
For more information about Asia Pulp & Paper’s sustainability initiatives please visit www.rainforestrealities.com.
About APP:
As one of the largest pulp and paper companies in Indonesia, and as a member of the global business community, APP understands the importance of sustainably managing its water use in its daily production operations. In addition to managing water usage across its own facilities, APP also work together with local partners to address water issues in the community surrounding its operations and beyond.
APP has been a signatory of the Global Compact since 2008 and has been actively leading and participating in its various initiatives. APP pledged to the CEO Water Mandate on 22 March 2011 during the 2011 World Water Day Commemoration along with five other companies.
Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) is a brand umbrella for paper products which are produced by several mills in Indonesia such as PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Tbk, PT Pindo Deli Pulp & Paper Mills, PT PabrikKertas Tjiwi Kimia Tbk, PT Lontar Papyrus Pulp & Paper Industries, and PT Ekamas Fortuna. APP is headquartered in Indonesia and markets its product to more than 120 countries. Most of APP’s production facilities are Chain-of-Custody certified by LEI and PEFC. APP supports several main conservation initiatives, including a 178,000 hectare Biosphere Reserve in GiamSiak Kecil - Bukit Batu and an area of 106,000 hectare for the Senepis Tiger Sanctuary. Both are located in the province of Riau, Sumatera. Other APP wildlife preservation initiatives include the support of the Kutai Orangutan Program in Kalimantan and the conservation of the Javan Rhino in Ujung Kulon National Park.
About Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group:
Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group was developed to assist signatories of the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate program to comply with the CEO Water Mandate Principles and to encourage collective actions in addressing water issues in Indonesia. As part of the collaborative action, the Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group is planning a “Save Water” Campaign, a program to raise the awareness on the urgency and importance of Water Conservation. The campaign will consist of seminars, discussion and report development around water policy, water disclosure, best practices and collaborative actions on the ground with relevant government agencies, UN Bodies, NGOs, academicians, community and other private sectors. The United Nation Global Compact Network initiative is a leadership platform for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible and sustainable corporate policies and practices. Endorsed by chief executives, it seeks to align business operations and strategies everywhere with 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anticorruption. There are more than 8,500 Global Compact signatories in over 135 countries.
About Alliances for Water Stewardship (AWS):
The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) was formed in 2009 with the aim of collectively addressing some of the most serious impacts of water use worldwide. AWS believes that collective leadership, through the active participation of all those with an interest in how water resources are managed, is the only way we can fully address the complex nature of the water challenges the world is facing. At the heart of AWS is the development of and International Standard and third-party verification system. Regional engagement processes are critical to the success of both the Standard and the wider stewardship program.
Membership of AWS already includes many of the major players in sustainable water resource management worldwide. AWS’s Board organizations are the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, The Nature Conservancy, Water Stewardship Australia, the Pacific Institute, WWF, Water Witness International, the Water Environment Federation, the European Water Partnership, the International Water Management Institute and the Carbon Disclosure Project.