APP-China, the Chinese branch of Asia Pulp and Paper Co Ltd, is one of the global partners of the China Pavilion at the ongoing Expo Milano 2015 and also its exclusive provider of paper products.

Italy's Expo Milano 2015, which opened on May 1, has attracted exhibitors from 145 countries, three international organizations and 13 non-governmental organizations, and is expected to host 20 million visitors from around the world during its six-month run.

"World expos have long served as important platforms for countries to have exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, science, technology, society and culture," said Zhai Jingli, deputy CEO of APP-China.

"During the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, we cooperated with its coordination bureau. This time we are honored to be the only foreign-funded company chosen to be a global partner of the China Pavilion at Expo Milano," Zhai said.

She said paper holds an important place in the history of Chinese civilization and is one of the most commonly used goods in daily life.

"As an active advocate and practitioner of sustainable development in the paper industry, we hope to show the world some advanced and environmentally friendly paper-making techniques during the expo," she said.

Zhai said APP-China considers its "plantation-pulp-paper integration" a core business concept to realize sustainable operations in China.

Using plantations to supply the primary raw materials for its Chinese pulp and paper subsidiaries could also efficiently help balance economic, ecological and social benefits, Zhai added.

"Forests are one of the key resources to tackle global climate change, so scientific management of plantations could not only solve the contradiction between market demand and the shortage of forestry products such as wood and wood pulp, but also can help better protect natural forests," she said.

Zhai added that forests, whether they are natural forests or plantations, have played an important role in capturing carbon dioxide.

She said APP-China has 300,000 hectares of plantations in China, that can capture 8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, an equivalent to the amount discharged by about 2 million vehicles, and can store 2.17 million metric tons of carbon.

"Sustainable development of plantations is the foundation of plantation-pulp-paper integration and also an important guarantee for APP-China to have healthy growth," Zhai said, adding that the company has been doing forest certification for years.

Forest certification can ensure the legitimacy and sustainability of forest management and utilization, and paper companies can also use it to prove the legal sources of their raw materials and products, she said.

By the end of last year, APP-China had 240,000 hectares of certificated plantations, 80 percent of its total.

Products such as brochures, notebooks, envelopes and writing paper, customized for the China Pavilion, also received certification from the China Forest Certification Council and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes, Zhai said.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn?