The Oil palm Tree produces high-quality oil. At 66 million tons annually, palm oil is the most commonly produced vegetable oil. Its low world market price and properties that lend themselves to processed foods have led the food industry to use it in half of all supermarket products. Palm oil can be found in frozen pizzas, biscuits and margarine, as well as body creams, soaps, makeup, candles and detergents.
Palm oil is a very productive crop. It offers a far greater yield at a lower cost of production than other vegetable oils.Global production of and demand for palm oil is increasing rapidly. Plantations are spreading across Asia, Africa and Latin America. This expansion comes at the expense of tropical forests. These forests form critical habitats for many endangered species and a lifeline for some human communities.
What is the impact of increasing demand?
Around the world, large areas of tropical forests and other ecosystems with high conservation values have been and are being cleared to make room for vast monoculture oil palm plantations.
Oil palm plantations currently cover more than 27 million hectares of the Earth’s surface. This means that forests and human settlements have been destroyed and replaced by “green deserts”, containing virtually no biodiversity on an area the size of New Zealand. This clearing has destroyed critical habitat for many endangered species; including rhinos, elephants and tigers.
Burning forests to make room for palm oil plantations is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Intensive cultivation methods result in soil pollution and erosion and water contamination.
Few people realise that almost half of the palm oil imported into the EU is used as biofuel. Since 2009, the mandatory blending of biofuels into motor vehicle fuels has been a major cause of deforestation.
Is this a step backwards?
With their CO2 and methane emissions, palm oil-based biofuels actually have three times the climate impact of traditional fossil fuels.
Loss of Critical habitat and endangered species
Large scale deforestation of tropical forests to make room for oil palm plantations has had a devastating impact on a huge number of plant and animal species. The habitats that are being destroyed, frequently contain rare and endangered species, such as the orangutan, Borneo elephant and Sumatran tiger who are being pushed closer to extinction. Sadly, even national parks have been impacted and overrun with illegal palm oil plantings. Loss of habitat often leads to forcing wildlife into more confined and increasingly isolated fragments of natural habitat, which can cause conflict between each other and humans. Corruption of plantation companies includes offering local people to rid the land of all animals, including pygmy elephants and orangutans so that they do not trample the plantation. It’s an absolutely shameful and tragic situation.
Human life violations
It’s not only wildlife that is being evicted from their home, smallholders and indigenous people who have inhabited and protected the forest for generations are often brutally driven from their land. Additionally, there also remains some exploitation of workers. Violation of workers rights to fair payment, unsafe conditions, child labour and other malpractices occur on plantations. This terrible violation of human rights is an everyday occurrence, even on supposedly ‘sustainable’ and ‘organic’ certified plantations.
Burning the forest & Air Pollution
The most common method for clearing vegetation in natural forests is to burn it down. The burning of forests releases vast amounts of smoke and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thus polluting the air and contributing to climate change. Sometimes the fires become out of control and burn down far more forest and habitat than was intended; killing more wildlife and causing indigenous people to run for their lives, leaving everything to burn. Sometimes these fires are huge, the smoke and haze from the blazes have proven health consequences throughout Southeast Asia.
Soil and water pollution and soil erosion
In a palm oil mill, 2.5 metric tons of effluent (liquid waste) is generated for every metric ton of palm oil produced. Direct release of this effluent can cause freshwater pollution which will have a devastating effect on people and biodiversity downstream. While oil palm plantations are not large users of pesticides and fertilisers overall, the sporadic and mindless application and disposal of these materials can pollute surface and groundwater sources.
Ground Erosion
Erosion occurs when forests are being cleared for plantations, the biggest problem is the planting of oil palms on steep slopes. This erosion causes increased flooding and silt deposits in rivers and ports.
Climate Change
Tropical forests that are being cleared, particularly in Indonesia, store more carbon per unit than any other ecosystem in the world, when cleared this carbon is released back into the atmosphere. In addition, forest fires used to clear vegetation to establish plantations are the source of carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change.
Fact File: Due to its high deforestation rate, Indonesia is the third largest global emitter of greenhouse gasses, temporarily surpassing the United States in terms of greenhouse gas emissions in 2015.
Why can’t we simply switch to another oil
Although using other vegetable oils seems like a practical solution, it would actually create similar, if not even larger environmental and social problems.
Environment ~
Palm oil is an incredibly efficient crop, producing more oil per land area than any other equivalent vegetable oil crop. Globally, palm oil supplies 35% of the world’s vegetable oil demand on just 10% of the land. To get the same amount of alternative oils like soybean or coconut oil you would need anything between 4 and 10 times more land, which would just shift the problem to other parts of the world and threaten other habitats and species.
People ~
Palm oil is an important crop for the GDP of emerging economies and there are millions of smallholder farmers who depend on producing palm oil for their livelihood. In Indonesia and Malaysia, a total of 4.5 million people earn their living from palm oil production. Stopping the production of palm oil altogether would create significant problems for these people who support their families by working in this industry.
Therefore, the best solution is to ensure you buy products that contain sustainable palm oil.
Palm oil can be produced in a sustainable way and things can change.
Despite widely-reported malpractices in the industry, a growing number of players have committed to adopting more sustainable practices. The result of this gradual transition is an increasing amount of palm oil in products that have been produced and sourced in a sustainable manner.
Who is RSPO and can we trust the RSPO certification?
The Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil or RSPO was formed in 2004 in response to increasing concerns about the impacts of palm oil on the environment and on society. RSPO represents the largest, independent, third-party standard for more sustainable production of palm oil.
In 2008, the RSPO 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 negative impacts.
One of the most important RSPO criteria states no primary forests or areas which contain significant concentrations of biodiversity (e.g. endangered species) or fragile ecosystems, or areas which are fundamental to meeting basic or traditional cultural needs of local communities (high conservation value areas), can be cleared.
Only by being RSPO-certified by an independent auditor approved by the RSPO can producers claim that they produce, use and/or sell sustainable palm oil.
Take a look on your packaging or simply google the product to check if your product is RSPO certified.
Please note that there is a cost to this certification and being a member, therefore even if a product isn’t RSPO certified it doesn't always indicate unsustainable sourcing.
If you want to learn more about where the palm oil in a product comes from, look on google/website or email their customer service team.
You can learn more about the RSPO certification here: https://rspo.org/certification#how-certification-works
What is being done in the UK?
In 2012 the UK Government recognised that they were part of the palm oil problem and could also be part of the solution. They set a commitment for 100% of the palm oil used in the UK to be from sustainable sources that don’t harm nature or people. In 2016 75% of the total palm oil imports to the UK were sustainable. This is great progress but there is more to be done to get to 100%.
I have a few ideas about how you can reduce your daily intake of Palm Oil and support sustainable production.
Enjoy a home-cooked meal:
A meal cooked from fresh ingredients beats processed foods containing palm oil every time. Oils such as sunflower, olive, rapeseed or flaxseed are ideal for cooking and baking.
Read labels:
As of December 2014, labeling regulations in the EU require food products to clearly indicate that they contain palm oil. However, in the case of non-food items such as cosmetics and cleaning products, a wide range of chemical names may still be used to hide the use of palm oil. However, a quick check on google will show palm oil-free alternatives.
You are in control:
Public pressure and increased awareness of the problem have already prompted some producers to stop using palm oil or switch to a sustainable source. Write to product manufacturers and ask them why they aren’t using domestic oils or sustainable palm oil. Companies can be sensitive to issues that give their products a bad name, so inquiring with sales staff and contacting manufacturers can make a real difference.
Sign petitions and write to your elected representatives:
Online campaigns put pressure on policymakers responsible for biofuels and palm oil imports.
Have you signed all of Rainforest Rescue’s petitions?
Click the link: https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/petitions
Leave your car at home:
Whenever you can, walk, ride a bicycle or use public transport.
Be informed and inform others:
Large companies and governments would like us to believe that biofuels are good for the climate and that oil palm plantations are sustainable. Spread the word by sharing this information with your family and friends and encourage them to rethink their consumption habits.
You are the consumer. This change is in our hands.
*Facts and Statistics included in this article have been drawn from:
Thankyou for reading, Ella x
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