IS PALM OIL BAD? Palm oil is used in a huge proportion of products, including margarines, cereals and breads, cosmetics,

shampoos, and detergents. Some studies estimate that about half of all packaged items found in

supermarkets contain it!

Palm oil is now the most widely used vegetable

oil on the planet- accounting for 65% of all

vegetable oil traded internationally.

By 2020, the use of palm oil is expected to

double, due to the increase in world population

and consumption of manufactured goods.

This product has been met with much

controversy, due to poor practices and

management.

Clearing land for oil plantations has led to

widespread deforestation in Indonesia and

Malaysia as well as other regions- out of the 11

million hectares of palm oil plantations, 6 million

of these is in Indonesia!

This has pushed many species into the brink of extinction such

as rhinos, elephants and orangutans.

Many campaigns have been launched to ‘say no to palm oil’.

Although the plans mean well, since un-sustainably grown

plantations have a massive destructive impact on the

environment, products that claim not to be ‘palm oil free’ use

other sources like coconut oil or petroleum which are even

worse than palm oil itself!

Per tree, significantly more oil can be extracted from palms

than others like coconut trees. Coconut oil plantations require

4 times more land, thus more deforestation, than Palm Oil

plantations.

Massive increases in use of Palm Oil consumption!

Palm oil is the highest yielding crop

What’s the solution to Palm Oil?

Unfortunately, to meet our massive requirements, we do need to

keep using palm oil.

However, changes in the management and where the plantations

are grown can have a big impact.

Sustainably grown palm plantations, outside of Borneo or

Indonesia where endangered wildlife and unsustainable practices

take place are our best option.

However, new developments, such as Algal-oil derived from

algae are rapidly approaching. Algal oil is a much more

environmentally sustainable and less detrimental source that

could be used for products such as laundry detergents

What can you do?

Avoiding palm oil proves to be difficult due to the magnitude of

products it exists in.

Choose products that label exactly where the palm oil is from,

and opt for those that use sustainable plantations (like Nature’s

Organic).

Donate to and support organisations like The Orangutan Project,

which is involved in the protection and rehabilitation of many

threatened species who have lost their habitats due to

deforestation.

Look for this sign- it shows the palm

oil has been sustainably grown

Donate to projects such as the

orangutan project to help save the

species from palm oil deforestation