RGE's Remarkable Commitment towards Halting Deforestation and Building a Sustainable Business Model

RGE is a powerful player in the local fiber, pulp and paper industry in Indonesia. As part of their policy, however, the Group has also announced its commitment for the implementation of some of the safest, as well most environmentally and economically responsible practices, as part of their RGE Sustainability Framework.

RGE Group's Commitment to the 3 Cs

The 3 Cs are the cornerstones of RGE Chairman, Sukanto Tanoto's main philosophy, as adopted by all members corporations of the RGE Group. These include employing the right efforts in order to improve the company, community and country to the same extent.

This is essentially the key concept behind RGE's sustainability framework. Among other benefits of global importance, it upholds and promotes a commitment to eliminaing deforestation from the supply chain, adopting operational practices that both help the business and protect the peatland. The Group also makes sure the rights of the indigenous inhabitants of the areas where RGE operates are being respected and ensures the provision of a safe and adequate work environment for employees.

Several key members of the RGE Group have also adopted various resolutions and commitments to ensure deforestation can be avoided and that only the most efficient and environmentally friendly practices are used, in line with the Sustainability Framework.

Notable Efforts from Asian Agri, Apical and APRIL Group

Asian Agri, Apical and APRIL are three of the major companies working towards a responsible and sustainable management of industry efforts and technologies in Indonesia.

Some of their most significant efforts in this direction have been Apical and Asian Agri's signing of the Sustainable Palm Oil Manifesto – essentially committing the companies to avoiding deforestation entirely in HCS (High Carbon Stock) areas – and APRIL's remarkable approach to landscape conservation through their SFMP 2.0 (Sustainability Foreign Management Policy). The policy ensures a strict balance between conservation, sustainable production and the protection of the local landscape. 

Asian Agri has also recently signed the IPOP (the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Pledge), an agreement to improve relationships with stakeholders and involve the government in a sustained effort to make at least 60% of the palm oil supply free of deforestation.

Other key efforts, such as Apical's signing of the New York Declaration of Forests in 2014 and the sustained commitment APRIL has promoted for the past 15 years to ensure that no illegal wood would enter their mills, have already seen a lasting positive impact on the environment. 

RGE's commitment toward sustainability has allowed the group to continue to expand, while also ensuring lasting positive results for the community, the country and the environment.