Palm oil is the world's most produced, consumed, and traded vegetable oil. It’s an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms that has many uses and applications.
Palm Oil Fruit Diagram
Did you know that around 50% of all packaged products and 70% of the world’s cosmetics contain palm oil? It’s found in many of our daily products because compared to other vegetable oils, palm oil is:
- Relatively lower in price
- Has higher yields per hectare
- Very versatile to different products
However, the unsustainable expansion of oil palm plantations threatens wildlife, such as tigers, elephants, and orangutans. It also affects the local communities within the area, leading to conflicts within the plantation area.
From 1990 to 2017, industrial palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia grew by almost 12 million hectares, expanding at an average rate of 7% each year. However, the unsustainable production of palm oil causes multitudes of negative impacts on our environment, as shown below.
So, what can we do as individuals to help?
- Support sustainable palm oil and explain to friends, families, and others why this is a better approach than boycotting palm oil.
- Use the Palm Oil Score Card to see how well their favourite retailers, manufacturers, and food service companies are doing on palm oil.
- Share the scorecard on social media.
- Encourage your favourite brands to make commitments, join RSPO, and purchase 100% physical certified sustainable palm oil.
- Add their voice to WWF’s Voice for the Planet calling for urgent action.
Let's do our part to make our planet a better home for everyone :)
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