17 APRIL-assisted villages win Proklim or Climate Village Programme awards for climate change initiatives

PANGKALAN KERINCI,Indonesia,Nov. 3,2022 --Leading sustainable fibre and product producer Asia Pacific Resources International Limited ("APRIL") has announced that 17 villages under its operating arm PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper ("RAPP") have received the Major Climate Village Programme (Program Kampung Iklim or "ProKlim") award for their contribution in carrying out integrated climate change adaptation and mitigation actions. APRIL is a member of the Singapore-headquartered RGE group of companies founded by Sukanto Tanoto.

Out of the 17 villages,13 villages received the Major Proklim Certificates while four villages received the Intermediate Proklim Certificates. Representatives from two villages,namely the Teluk Lancang Village,Mandau District,Siak Regency and the Suka Makmur Village,Kampar Regency within the Riau Province,attended the awards presentation at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and were handed the Major Proklim trophies by the Minister of Environment and Forestry,Siti Nurbaya Bakar.

All 17 villages have implemented a series of community-based activities on fighting climate change,such as efforts on reforestation and drought prevention,improvement of food security,as well as the management of solid and liquid waste applying the 3R concept of reusing,reducing and recycling. Incentives of Rp.10 million per village were also offered as a form of appreciation for villages that have implemented Proklim effectively and have generated a beneficial impact on the environment and the community.

Including the 17 awarded villages,RAPP has,to-date,facilitated a total of 30 villages in its operating areas to receive the Proklim awards. RAPP has made a commitment to facilitate a total of 50 villages to receive the Proklim awards by 2024.

Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said that the Proklim award is a recognition of the community's hard work in driving climate action,the effective coaching provided by the regional leaders,as well as the active role played by companies in facilitating and supporting the implementation of Proklim. Representatives from the villages lauded RAPP for the guidance provided on implementing the initiatives under Proklim,which has supported them in achieving the award.

Proklim has facilitated the education of the village communities on environmental protection and also provided an additional channel of income support for the daily needs of the residents. Within the Suka Makmur Village,the plastic waste sorting program allows waste to be processed into new products,such as plastic crafts and planting containers for resale. The food security program allows residents in the Kampar Regency to earn additional income from the sustainable intensification of farming activities in their yards such as growing sweet potatoes that can be processed into chips. Solid waste from cow manure is processed into biogas for use in residential stoves,which is both environmentally-friendly and also results in savings in household expenses.

In particular,initiatives carried under Proklim within RAPP's assisted villages also include forest and land fire prevention activities which involve the Fire Awareness Community (Masyarakat Peduli Api) and the Environment and Forestry Service.

This year,the Ministry of Environment and Forestry presented certificates and incentives to 12 Proklim areas under the Proklim Lestari (Sustainable) category,and 55 Proklim areas under the Proklim Utama (Major) category,which RAPP's assisted villages were awarded in. In total,1,093 locations participated and enrolled in this year's Climate Village Program.

About APRIL

APRIL is a leading producer of fibre,pulp and paper with plantations and manufacturing operations in Riau Province,Indonesia. We are committed to sustainability in our business and in the broader landscapes where we operate. Under our production-protection model,we adopted a unique 1- for-1 goal where we aim to conserve one hectare of forest for every hectare of plantation,and currently conserve and restore approximately 364,996 hectares of forests,including the largest peatland restoration project in Indonesia. For more information,visit www.aprilasia.com and follow Twitter @aprilpulp