What is Palm Oil?

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of oil palms. It’s inexpensive and efficient, making it the worlds most widely used vegetable oil — and global consumption is rising. Palm oil is used in the production of foods such as biscuits, chocolate, frozen meals, and more. It is also used in cosmetics, personal care products, and cleaning products. The production of unsustainable palm oil is one of the biggest threats facing topical forests and wildlife in places like Borneo and Sumatra – and demand for palm oil is rising as the human population rises. To protect wildlife and wild places, we need to ensure that sustainable palm oil becomes the norm.

How does palm oil affect me?

Up to 50% of the products we can buy in an average supermarket now contain palm oil, making us end users of the palm oil supply chain. When we make the choice to support sustainable palm oil, not only do we help endangered species and environments affected by unsustainable palm oil production, we also help ensure a cleaner world for ourselves. Sustainable palm oil mitigates the loss of forests and conversion of carbon rich peat soils which protects important carbon sinks. Protecting these areas is important in the fight against global climate change that affects us all.

Why shouldn’t I boycott palm oil?

Palm oil itself isn’t the problem, it is where and how it has historically been grown. In fact, palm oil could very well be the solution to deforestation if it is grown sustainably. Environmentally, oil palms are the most productive of all oil crops—producing 4-10x more oil than common alternatives such as soy, canola, and coconut. To switch to one of these alternatives would require far more land and ultimately create more deforestation. When grown sustainably, palm oil is the best choice of edible vegetable oils. Socially, Indonesia and Malaysia, the two countries that produce the majority of the world’s palm oil, are currently going through an important period of economic growth. Without the palm oil industry, millions of people who rely on these economic opportunities and struggle with poverty would be unemployed. Additionally, palm oil is a natural preservative with no trans-fat which is why it can be found in many prepackaged food items. As the human population has grown, so too has the demand for products that are safe to consume and have a long shelf life. Practically, it does not seem realistic or feasible to effectively boycott palm oil. Palm oil and its derivatives have more than 600 different names on product labels, sometimes even being labeled generically as “vegetable oil.”

What can I do from my zoo/aquarium?

Start a palm oil awareness programme at your organisation. This can include signage, staff talks, social media posts, education programmes and more! Learn more here.

Increase your institution’s use of certified sustainable palm oil. Learn more here.

Spread palm oil messaging to other like-minded organisations.

Support on the ground reforestation or animal rehabilitation in areas affected by unsustainable palm oil.

What is sustainable palm oil?

Sustainable palm oil is palm oil that has been certified as sustainable under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)’s standards. This is palm oil that is grown and certified against the 7 RSPO principles and criteria: Commitment to transparent, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, commitment to long-term economic and financial viability, use of appropriate best practices by growers and millers, environmental responsibility and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity, responsible consideration of employees, individuals, and communities affected by growers and mills, responsible development of new plantings, and finally commitment to continuous improvement in key areas of activity. These stringent sustainability criteria relate to social, environmental, and economic good practice.

What is the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil?

Founded in 2004, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a non-profit bringing together all stakeholders of the palm oil industry: oil palm producers, processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks and investors, and environmental and social non-governmental organisations. The RSPO has developed a set of environmental and social criteria which companies must comply with in order to produce Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). When they are properly applied, these criteria can help to minimise the negative impact of palm oil cultivation on the environment and communities in palm oil producing countries. The RSPO has more than 5,000 members worldwide who are committed to produce, source, and / or use sustainable palm oil certified as sustainable under the RSPO standards.