Greenpeace recently responded to Sinar Mas’ self-styled 'verification exercise':
The Sinar Mas audit largely confirms Greenpeace findings. It shows that Sinar Mas has been clearing forests and peat lands. Also it confirms that the company has been operating without the necessary permits and has been clearing deep peat illegally.
"We’ve repeatedly shown that Sinar Mas says one thing and does another. They destroy peatland and call it water management. They clear rainforests and say that they’re developing degraded land," said Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest Team Leader.
"But instead of acting on our findings, which conclusively prove Sinar Mas destroys rainforests and peatlands, they’re trying to greenwash their image," he said.
Between 2007 and July 2010 (1), Greenpeace International released a series of reports exposing the impact of the Sinar Mas Group’s pulp, paper and oil palm divisions on climate, forests, peatlands and tiger and orang-utan habitats.
Greenpeace’s investigations, as recent as July 2010, have shown Sinar Mas continues to clear mapped forest and peatland, breaching its own company policy even while this current audit was underway.
