Large paper company APRIL welcomes Kim Carstensen, ex-head of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), aiming for certification restart

Large paper company APRIL welcomes Kim Carstensen, ex-head of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), aiming for certification restart

In a move that has sparked controversy, Kim Carstensen, the former director general of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), has been appointed as senior sustainability advisor for Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL). APRIL, a large paper company, is seeking FSC recertification and Carstensen's expertise in FSC standards is seen as beneficial for their ambitions.

However, Carstensen's appointment has raised concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest. During his tenure at FSC, APRIL's forestry practices were under scrutiny for controversies including forest destruction and human rights abuses uncovered during FSC certifications. The move from FSC leadership directly into a senior sustainability role at APRIL has been criticized as creating a potential conflict of interest, raising questions about whether his prior regulatory role could influence or soften FSC scrutiny in favor of APRIL.

APRIL denies any improper connections and claims NGOs that question the appointment are trying to sabotage its certification efforts. NGOs and watchdog groups argue that FSC certification has had flaws that allow problematic companies to obtain certification, and Carstensen's new role might undermine certification credibility if he uses his FSC insider knowledge to help APRIL navigate or evade rigorous audits.

The potential recertification of APRI by FSC has been a contentious issue, with Earthsight and Auriga Nusantara stating that it would amount to "greenwashing on an industrial scale." In 2020, APRIL sent an "acknowledgement of harm" letter to FSC, committing to remediate past harm in Riau, Indonesia. However, an investigation by Earthsight in 2021 found problems at FSC-certified concessions, including forest destruction and human rights abuses.

In 2023, APRIL signed a memorandum of understanding with FSC, initiating a process to end their disassociation and work towards regaining FSC certification. NGOs have objected to this reassociation process, citing evidence of ongoing deforestation and conflict with local communities by APRIL's parent company, Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), which violates the company's no-deforestation, peatlands, or exploitation (NDPE) pledge made in 2015.

The FSC's meetings are conducted under Chatham House rules, preventing the disclosure of details about members' attendance or any statements they may have made during these meetings. Kim Carstensen remains an individual member of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), allowing him to vote in electing members to the board of directors and on policy motions.

Before joining FSC, Carstensen spent more than a decade as CEO of WWF Denmark and started out with the conservation group as a programme officer in the late 1980s. Under Carstensen's leadership, FSC grew to certify land covering nearly 216 million hectares of land in 89 countries. Carstensen retired in April and was replaced by Dr Subhra Bhattacharjee.

This situation highlights ongoing challenges in balancing corporate advisory roles and maintaining independent, credible certification in environmental governance. While APRIL benefits from Carstensen’s deep FSC knowledge as it seeks to regain FSC certification, his appointment poses perceived conflicts of interest that could potentially weaken the trust in FSC certification of APRIL’s operations. No explicit official statement or investigation has yet confirmed any wrongdoing, but NGOs remain watchful for the implications on FSC’s reputation and APRIL’s sustainability claims following this appointment.

1. The appointment of Kim Carstensen, former director general of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), as senior sustainability advisor for APRIL, a paper company, has provoked discussions about potential conflicts of interest, given APRIL's controversial forestry practices under scrutiny during Carstensen's tenure at FSC.
2. NGOs argue that the FSC's certification process has loopholes that allow questionable companies, such as APRIL, to obtain certification, and Carstensen's new role might further compromise the credibility of certification if he uses his FSC insider knowledge to assist APRIL in avoiding rigorous audits.
3. APRIL's potential recertification by the FSC has been labeled by Earthsight and Auriga Nusantara as "greenwashing on an industrial scale," given ongoing concerns about deforestation and human rights abuses at FSC-certified concessions operated by APRIL and its parent company, Royal Golden Eagle (RGE).
4. As the CEO of WWF Denmark and a long-time conservationist, Carstensen oversaw the FSC's growth into certifying nearly 216 million hectares of land across 89 countries before retiring and being replaced by Dr Subhra Bhattacharjee.
5. The ongoing controversy surrounding Carstensen's appointment underscores the difficulties in balancing corporate advisory roles and maintaining independent, credible certification in environmental governance, raising questions about business practices, corporate responsibility, and the science of sustainable forestry within the industry.
6. The situation demands increased scrutiny and transparency in corporate governance and the environmental-science field, as well as closer examination of the financial relationships between companies, NGOs, and certification bodies to ensure that sustainable development goals (SDGs) regarding biodiversity and climate action are upheld, even in the face of potentially profit-motivated greenwashing efforts.

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