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Indah Kiat Tangerang (IKT) Mill Receives ‘Advanced’ Rating in Independent Assessment

BusinessWire/ME-Newswire - Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) has received an Advanced level rating in SGS’s independent assessment for ISO 26000 social responsibility standards, making it the first in its sector in Asia-Pacific to receive this recognition from leading independent global industry auditor Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS).

ISO 26000 is a set of globally recognized best-practice guidelines on organisational governance, labor practices, the environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, community involvement and development. IKT achieved a level four verification, out of a possible five, giving it an Advanced status. The assessment is based on the SGS Performance Standard on ISO 26000.

“The objective of the SGS Performance ISO 26000 method is to identify how organizations can improve their performance in various areas of social responsibility. We are pleased to see that a corporation such as APP has chosen our method, and values continuous improvement, demonstrating commitment to internal and external stakeholders. Benchmarks and best practices in sustainable fields were provided to APP to enable a path of ongoing improvement and evaluation of performance," stated Mr. Guy Escarfail, Managing Director, SGS Indonesia.

This new Advanced designation compliments the APP Sustainability Roadmap Vision 2020 launched on June 5th. The Roadmap details the company’s path forward towards social and environmental best practices in sustainability. ISO 26000 guidelines align with the goals of the sustainability roadmap including human rights, employee welfare, and community empowerment.

Ms. Aida Greenbury, Managing Director Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement, APP, welcomed the recognition and pledged to extend the program: “APP strives to be the responsible global leader in the pulp and paper industry. The ISO 26000 standard is only a first step toward a bigger commitment of responsible business practices. The next step is to replicate the successful program in other mills, and we expect them to be eligible for independent verification as early as 2013.”

“As a growing corporation operating in a developing country, sustainable development is a pillar of our operations. We’ve adopted the ISO 26000 guidelines to ensure the integration of socially responsible behaviour and the development of sustainable relationships with many members of our community such as customers, employees, NGOs and business partners,” she added.

The mill has also achieved various certifications including ISO 9001 for Quality Management System and ISO 14001 for Environmental Management System. IKT was also awarded the first ISO 14001 in Indonesia, in 1996.