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!

Massive increases in use of Palm Oil consumption!

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!

Palm oil is the highest yielding crop

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.

Whats 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 Natures
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