Moorim Paper accused of devastating Indonesian forests

Excavators and a dump truck work on cleared land in a Papuan forest, Indonesia, in June 2021 for PT PNMP's business to collect wood to produce chips for papermaking. Courtesy of Solution for Our Climate

Korea's second-largest paper manufacturer held responsible by activists

By Ko Dong-hwan

Moorim Paper, Korea's second-largest pulp and paper manufacturer, claims on its website that it "thinks of the environment" by not using wood that comes from illegal deforestation or was genetically modified. It also claims it is the first paper manufacturer in Korea that acquired the Forest Stewardship Council's Chain of Custody (FSC-CoC) certification, which, according to the international organization, assures that products originate from well-managed forests, controlled sources, or reclaimed materials.

But according to a report by environmental activists in Korea and Indonesia that was released March 15, the company based in Seoul's Gangnam District has been lying. Using its subsidiary firm PT Plasma Nutfah Marind Papua (PT PNMP) in Indonesia, Moorim has been clearing more than 6,000 hectares of pristine forests in the remote province of Papua between 2015 and 2021 to produce wood chips for papermaking without having performed a proper environmental impact analysis prior to clearing the land.

Environmental Paper Network (EPN), a coalition of over 150 global NGOs for forest protection, environmental groups in Indonesia ― Mighty Earth, Pusaka Foundation ― and Korea ― Solution for Our Climate (SFOC), Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM) ― as well as Korean lawyers' activist group Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL) jointly worked on the report. The report is titled "Trashing the last rainforest: how Papua treasures are being dumped into the wastepaper bin."

The report claimed PT PNMP deforested a key biodiversity hotspot, which is home to 40 mammals, 30 reptiles and 130 fish species featured on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. The area is also identified as place where forests, swamps and savannas merge "in a unique and fragile ecosystem characterized by alluvial dynamics."

The company also devastated sago palm groves, fishing ponds and hunting grounds in areas that have been the customary land for many local traditional clans in Papua, the coalition group argued. Sacred sites for indigenous people of the clans have also been bulldozed.

"Local people must now walk a considerable distance to find food," the report said.

A patch of deforested land in Papua, Indonesia, in June 2021 / Courtesy of Solution for Our Climate

Franky Samperante, the executive director of Pusaka Foundation, said Moorim's failure?to respect the rights of indigenous people has caused socio-economic, cultural and environmental losses. "Indigenous people are already facing difficulties in meeting their needs for quality food and water, livelihood and harmony, all of which cannot be replaced with unjust compensation," Samperante said in a joint statement released Tuesday by the coalition group. "The Korean government must provide sanctions for alleged violations of the company."

Sergio Baffoni of the EPN said in the statement that paper is sold globally as an eco-friendly plastic substitute, yet it is still coming from deforestation and abuse of indigenous peoples' rights. "We cannot sacrifice the last paradises of the planet for products that end up in the trash bin within a few hours after their first use," Baffoni said.

The report added Moorim consistently failed to produce prior assessments of what could be at risk once the deforestation began, including the indigenous people's sacred sites, biodiversity hotspots, sago groves and carbon-absorbing peatlands.

The coalition group demanded Moorim commit to an immediate moratorium that will halt PT PNMP from further clearing of the Indonesian forests, followed by a thorough analysis of the area's environmental and social values at risk. They demanded the company to adopt and implement a "no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation" (NDPE) policy and a "high conservation value-high carbon stock assessment" (HCV-HCSA), and restore the areas that have been deforested.

They also urged the FSC to investigate the matter to maintain the integrity of the organization's certification. Annisa Rahmawati, an advocate for Indonesian campaigns from Mighty Earth, said the report has revealed how a company like Moorim has continued to trash rainforests in Indonesia while hiding behind the FSC green forestry label. "The FSC must take swift action against any such company that violates its standards, otherwise the FSC label is just greenwash," Rahmawati said.

Activists from Tuesday's joint street protest by Solution for Our Climate, Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, and Advocates for Public Interest Law fly origami planes from the steps inside Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul's Jongno District, March 15. Courtesy of Solution for Our Climate

Moorim faced protests from NGOs that endorsed the report in 2019. The company, however, turned a deaf ear and continued clearing the forests. Kim Soo-jin from SFOC told The Korea Times that Korean NGOs investigated the area for nearly one year in 2021 and confronted the company again based on the investigation results and demanded a moratorium. The company responded this time, but their response, according to the report, did not faithfully regard the matter. The company was also unwilling to commit to a moratorium.

"Moorim's violations of human rights and destruction of forests in Papua haven't been made known to people in Korea," said Kim. "It is unacceptable that Moorim has ignored the warnings of Korean NGOs and continued with business as usual without resolving these issues in the last three years."

The Korean central government is directly linked to the environmental impacts and human rights violations caused by PT PNMP by lending 9.1 billion won ($7.3 million) to Moorim for its oversea forestry operations, Chung Shin-young from APIL said.

"The Korean government should immediately open a transparent and inclusive investigation about the harms caused by PT PNMP, as well as require Moorim to conduct the environmental and human rights due diligence on PT PNMP's business, including providing remedies," said Chung.

The coalition group warned that if Moorim refuses to accept the activists' demands, the company's buyers, financiers and business partners will face the risks of doing business with a company that will likely lose its FSC certification for violating the terms of the organization's policy for association. The business bodies, the group added, will then likely close supply contracts, divest and suspend financial and services agreements with the company.

SFOC, KFEM and APIL held a joint street protest against Moorim on Tuesday in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul's Jongno District. Members of the groups flew green origami planes high to remind people of the lost forests in Papua.