Asia Pulp & Paper linked to transboundary haze fires after 11-year gap

Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), one of Indonesia's largest pulp and paper manufacturers, has again faced allegations linking its operations to fires that contribute to transboundary haze affecting Singapore and other Southeast Asian nations. The renewed focus on the conglomerate comes after an 11-year period without such high-profile accusations, signaling continued environmental concerns over land-clearing practices in Indonesia's vast forest regions.

APP operates extensive plantation and production facilities across Indonesia, including pulpwood estates and processing plants. The company's supply chain has historically intersected with regions prone to forest fires, particularly during dry seasons when land-clearing activities and agricultural fires escalate. Previous investigations and environmental reports have documented links between industrial operations in areas where APP sources materials and subsequent haze events that drift across the region.

For Singapore, the implications are substantial. The city-state regularly experiences air quality degradation during haze episodes, with the Pollutant Standards Index rising to unhealthy levels. Indonesian fires, whether deliberate or resulting from land-clearing practices, are frequently identified as primary contributors to these transboundary pollution events. Singapore has long advocated for stricter environmental enforcement and corporate accountability in Indonesia to mitigate such occurrences.

The resurgence of scrutiny on APP reflects ongoing regional tensions over environmental governance and corporate responsibility. Environmental groups and authorities across Southeast Asia continue to monitor major industrial operators whose activities intersect with fire-prone regions. The renewed focus underscores persistent challenges in curbing practices that trigger haze events affecting millions of people across the region.

Photo: Sunset through wildfire haze in Jambi, Indonesia, August 2026. Muhamad Izzul Fiqih via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).