Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills Ltd (APPM), one of India's largest Pulp and Paper manufacturers already accredited with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 has added another distinction of  receiving the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody (COC) Certificate for its responsible sourcing of pulpwood. FSC is the only forest certification scheme that sets standards with an international scope. This award is given to environmental visionary companies who have found innovative solutions to complex environmental issues in their style of working.

APPM has met its raw material requirement through well managed farm forestry programs over the last two decades by developing plantations over more than 100,000 hectares. It has distributed more than 700 million quality saplings which have benefitted more than 39,000 rural families since 1989. The company has emphasized the need for conservation of natural resources and a clean environment by promoting massive plantations on marginal and degraded lands ensuring a sustainable raw material resource while providing sustainable livelihood to the agrarian community across Coastal Andhra Pradesh. The farm forestry endeavors of APPM revolves around promoting poverty alleviation and increasing the socio-economic well being of the local communities.

With the granting of the FSC COC certificate, APPM has displayed the credibility of its farm forestry program by authenticating the origin of fiber resources within the social and environmental perspective meant for raw material resourcing. Thus, abiding to the policy of FSC by avoiding procurement of raw materials from: illegal harvesting, violation of traditional and civil rights, harvesting from high conservation zones, conversion of natural forests and harvests from genetically modified trees.