Forestry corporation APRIL welcomes former Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) leader Kim Carstensen, pursuing FSC recertification
In 2013, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) disassociated Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) due to concerns about deforestation and human rights violations in its supply chain. Fast forward to 2025, APRIL has appointed Kim Carstensen, the former director-general of the FSC, as its senior sustainability advisor, as the company embarks on a mission to regain FSC certification.
During Carstensen's tenure as FSC's director-general, the council grew to certify land covering nearly 216 million hectares of land in 89 countries. His appointment could be instrumental in helping APRIL navigate the complex process of re-certification.
In 2023, APRIL signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with FSC to initiate the process of ending their disassociation. This represents the FSC's gold standard for sustainable forestry. The FSC’s remedy framework, designed to allow companies previously disassociated to regain certification, is now being tested in Indonesia.
However, the road to re-certification is not without challenges. NGOs have raised objections, warning against potential "greenwashing" and exposing flaws in APRIL's social baseline assessments. These shortcomings include weak methodology, lack of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) from communities, exclusion of customary communities, and limited transparency.
APRIL has acknowledged these issues and, in 2020, sent an "acknowledgement of harm" letter to FSC, committing to remediate past harm in Riau, Indonesia. The company has also denied the connections made in recent investigations regarding ongoing deforestation and conflict with local communities.
The remedy process in Indonesia is now treated as a testing ground for FSC’s new framework. APRIL is actively engaged in efforts to remediate past harms as part of FSC's remedy framework, adopted in 2023. However, the process remains contentious and ongoing, with significant scrutiny from NGOs and FSC itself.
| Aspect | Status/Details | |--------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | FSC Disassociation | APRIL disassociated since 2013 due to deforestation and social issues | | Remedy framework involvement | APRIL entered FSC's remedy process starting 2023 MoU | | Kim Carstensen’s Role | Hired in 2025 as senior sustainability advisor to support re-certification efforts | | NGO Concerns | Baseline assessment flaws, FPIC issues, transparency, allegation of greenwashing | | Current Process Location | Indonesia as global pilot for FSC remedy framework | | Certification Status | APRIL not yet re-certified; undergoing remediation and assessment |
- APRIL's journey towards re-obtaining Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is complex, as the company has been disassociated since 2013 due to concerns about deforestation and social issues.
- The FSC's former director-general, Kim Carstensen, was appointed as APRIL's senior sustainability advisor in 2025, potentially aiding the company in navigating the challenging process of re-certification.
- In 2023, APRIL signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the FSC to initiate the process of ending their disassociation, representing the FSC’s gold standard for sustainable forestry.
- However, the road to re-certification is fraught with challenges, as NGOs have raised objections regarding potential "greenwashing," weak methodology, lack of free, prior, and informed consent, exclusion of customary communities, and limited transparency in APRIL's social baseline assessments.
- The remediation process in Indonesia, serving as a global pilot for FSC's new framework, remains contentious and ongoing, with significant scrutiny from NGOs and FSC itself, as APRIL works to remediate past harms according to FSC's remedy framework adopted in 2023.
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