Jakarta - One of the causes of climate change is deforestation and forest degradation, which is increasing every year. Recognizing the extensive economic and environmental impacts of climate change, the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), in collaboration with WWF-Indonesia, invites businesses to become more involved in the fight against climate change in Indonesia through the use of raw materials and materials from responsibly managed forests. The call was made today (5/11), during the FSC Certified Tissue Paper Launch event in Jakarta, as part of the FSC Business Forum activities.

"FSC is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization that promotes responsible forest management worldwide. Through a rigorous certification system, FSC provides internationally recognized standards, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations and communities interested in responsible forest management and forestry. Through the forest certification program, FSC is expected to contribute to the development of better and more responsible forestry practices in Indonesia and the world," said Hartono Prabowo, a representative of FSC Indonesia.

Aditya Bayunanda, Forest Commodities Market Transformation Leader WWF-Indonesia, said, "Efforts are needed by all parties to reduce the rate of climate change, such as real steps by the business world in using products whose raw materials come from responsibly managed forests and traceable origins. One example is the use of FSC certified sustainable products." Aditya expressed the importance of businesses doing more to contribute to reducing the rate of climate change, "Businesses are good agents of change because their products are part of our lives, so consumers can be involved in the choice of products used daily."

Hartono Prabowo also added, "The existence of Tessa as one of the top tissue brands that uses raw materials from FSC certified forests, shows the increasing concern of the business world in efforts to reduce the impact of climate change due to deforestation and forest degradation, through the use of raw materials or products derived from responsibly managed forests that can be part of the company's branding."

Bong Edison, Director of PT Graha Kerindo Utama, a Tessa tissue manufacturer that uses FSC-certified raw materials, said, "We have been committed to the use of raw materials from responsibly managed forests since 2010 until we received our Chain of Custody (CoC) certificate from FSC in 2013. The FSC scheme applies to two of our companies, PT Graha Cemerlang Paper Utama and PT Graha Kerindo Utama."

In Indonesia, in addition to Tessa tissues, other everyday products that already use raw materials from responsibly managed forests under the FSC scheme are Ultra Jaya milk packaging, Frisian Flag liquid milk packaging, Milo liquid milk packaging, Teh Kotak, Kimberly Clark's sanitary products, and Body Shop's body cleansers and combs.

Note to Editor:

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - an international panel of experts appointed to review the scientific aspects of climate change and advise the UNFCCC - concluded in 2013 that with 95-100% confidence, by the end of 2100, global temperatures will be 1.8-4 degrees Celsius warmer than the average temperature in 1980-1999, and that climate change since the 1950s is dominated by human activities. In general, temperature projections for Indonesia show an increase of between 0.1 and 0.3°C per decade until 2100. Although this figure is lower than the global temperature increase, it can be said that there is already a trend towards climate change. With the results of this study, climate change is in sight.
• Meanwhile, according to data from the World Bank Indonesia in 2010, with a population of 273 million people, Indonesia is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, which, among others, results from deforestation activities.

Further information, please contact:

• Indra Setia Dewi, Program Officer, FSC Indonesia (i.dewi@fsc.org, +62 812 8161339)
• Dita Ramadhani, Responsible Trade & Networking Coordinator, WWF-Indonesia (dramadhani@wwf.or.id, +62 821 10079992)