A 2018 report by risk analysis group Chain Reaction Research shows this practice of hiding true corporate ownership is common among major agribusiness firms in Southeast Asia. In 2018, Indonesia’s Auriga Nusantara analyzed the ownership and management structures of APP’s declared pulpwood suppliers in Indonesia, and found that of 27 forest plantation companies that APP described as being “independent” partners, at least 24 had apparent close links with the Sinar Mas Group, the parent company of APP. Auriga said this indicated a practice of shadow companies.
Mongabay
Environmental activists have slammed a rule change by the Forest Stewardship Council that will allow some loggers who couldn’t qualify over the past 30 years to now be certified sustainable.
