One of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world, it was founded as Tjiwi Kimia by Eka Tjipta Widjaja in 1972.

Asia Pulp & Paper was founded as Tjiwi Kimia by Eka Tjipta Widjaja who at the time was a refiner of coconut oil.

[1] Widjaja was already operating what became known as Sinar Mas Group, and started Tjiwi Kimia based on his success in commodities.

[7][8] Asia Pulp & Paper moved its headquarters back to Indonesia and eventually spun off APP China in a debt-for-equity swap.

[3] The same year it hired former Greenpeace activist Patrick Moore who authored a report that describes APP as not responsible for deforestation in Indonesia.

[15] Campaigns have been focused against companies such as Mattel and Kraft Foods for using APP products in its packaging,[16][17] Asia Pulp & Paper has entered into agreements with NGOs for monitoring of its sustainability practices.

As a result of the announcement of APP's zero deforestation plan, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and other NGOs welcomed the company's Forest Conservation Policy while expressing cautious optimism.

[23][24][25] In September 2015, the Singaporean National Environment Agency (NEA) named APP as one of five companies possibly responsible for the 2015 Southeast Asian Haze.

The company pledged to be wholly reliant on raw materials from plantations and have all its suppliers operate by High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) standards by 2015, using independent audits to track progress.

Because overcapacity has been linked to negative environmental and social impacts, APP partners raised concerns that the commitments outlined in the Forest Conservation Policy could not be met.

According to APP, the September 2014 unpublished results from The Growth & Yield – Wood Supply Study "confirmed that Asia Pulp and Paper Group (APP) has sufficient plantation resources to meet the pulp requirements of its existing mills as well as its future mill in OKI, South Sumatra".