APP's Aida Greenbury says protecting the world's forests is everyone's responsibility
Transparency and building trust with stakeholders across business, civil society and government has been the principle foundation upon which our zero deforestation commitment has been built.
As we've moved through the implementation of our Forest Conservation Policy over the past two years it has become clear that sharing both our successes and challenges publicly is critical to maintaining an honest and open dialogue with all our stakeholders. It is the only way to inspire others, and show companies that it is possible to adopt zero deforestation as a business principle. It is also important to encourage action from across the supply chain as well as gain support from others on this important issue.
We recently participated in a Twitter debate with BusinessGreen focused on the topic of zero deforestation. Approximately 225 people mentioned or took part in the debate, and our current estimates show that over 600,000 accounts were reached via the #zerodeforestation hashtag. It was extremely encouraging to see this level of interest and engagement in zero deforestation from so many people all around the world.
During the debate we touched a range of topics, from the role of government, incentivising businesses to adopt zero deforestation policies, to the importance of reforestation at a landscape level. However, my overriding message to everyone is that the time to act to save the world's natural forest is now. Targets can be set and achieved by individual companies, we have shown this and there simply isn't any time to waste if we are to collectively save one of the world's most precious natural resources. Ending global deforestation and helping to protect and restore forest is everybody's responsibility.
Aida Greenbury is managing director of sustainability at Asia Pulp & Paper
This article was published in association with APP as part of the BusinessGreen Zero Deforestation Hub.
