Major pulp giant rge admits deforestation violations in critical bornean wildlife habitat

Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies, has acknowledged a potential breach of its no-deforestation commitment in its supply chain, casting doubt on the Singapore-based company’s efforts to regain Forest Stewardship Council certification. The admission comes following a damning report by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) that exposes continued forest destruction linked to RGE’s operations in Indonesian Borneo.

According to the report, RGE’s Chinese subsidiary Asia Symbol sourced wood from two Indonesian pulpwood plantations where an alarming 5,565 hectares—equivalent to nearly 14,000 acres—of natural forest were cleared between 2020 and 2024. This deforestation occurred despite RGE’s adoption of a no-deforestation policy in 2015. The analysis relied on satellite imagery, field investigations, and supply chain records compiled by transparency platform Trase to track the connection between forest clearing and RGE’s operations.

The forest destruction took place in the Mahakam River watershed, home to some of Indonesia’s last remaining intact rainforests and critically endangered species. This biodiverse region supports populations of Bornean orangutans, the rare Mahakam population of Irrawaddy dolphins, and Sumatran rhinos—a species previously thought extinct on Borneo but recently rediscovered in the wild. The revelations highlight ongoing challenges in monitoring global supply chains and enforcing corporate environmental commitments, particularly in Indonesia’s palm oil and pulp sectors where deforestation remains a persistent threat to some of the world’s most ecologically important forests.