FSC Moves Forward with Remedy Process to Address Harms Caused by APP Operations

The Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) decision to lift the suspension of Asia Pulp and Paper’s (APP) remedy process marks an important step in ensuring accountability for past environmental and social harms. Remedy is the pathway FSC uses to confront serious violations — not avoid them — and to drive real, lasting change on the ground.

The suspension, enacted in January 2025, was a precautionary measure triggered by a change in beneficial ownership within APP. It was not related to APP’s performance under the Remedy Framework. FSC commissioned an independent legal review to assess the implications of this ownership concentration, and that review is still ongoing. A summary of its findings will be published once complete. What is already clear, however, is that APP remains obligated to implement full remedy - and that obligation is not in question.

Delaying implementation of remedy until every aspect of APP’s corporate structure is fully resolved risks withholding access to remedy from affected communities and ecosystems. Remedy is not a certification, nor is it a sign of forgiveness. It is a corrective, multi-stage process designed to hold companies accountable for past harms and transform how they operate.

FSC’s Remedy Framework includes mechanisms for independent verification, community engagement, and ongoing oversight. It is structured to adapt if new information comes to light - including changes to the corporate group. If the legal review or additional evidence identifies entities that must be brought into the scope of remedy, FSC has the tools and the commitment to do so.

FSC recognizes that concerns such as intimidation, land conflict, and unresolved harms are precisely why a credible, structured remedy process is needed. The FSC Remedy Framework creates the conditions for oversight, transparency, and community participation - conditions that do not exist when companies operate outside the system. FSC is actively working with APP to ensure that affected communities can engage meaningfully and safely in the process, including through the establishment of a formal stakeholder body to guide and monitor its implementation.

We remain committed to strengthening the systems that ensure remedy is credible, inclusive, and rooted in the rights of communities. We will continue to engage transparently, listen carefully, and act decisively to ensure this process delivers the change it promises.