Palm Oil
What Is Palm Oil?
Palm Oil is a type of oil that derives from the fruit of a species of Palm Tree. Palm oil production has a devastating effect on the rainforests of Indonesia, Borneo and Malaysia. This is because it is an extremely cheap oil and can easily be produced on a mass scale. Therefore, many large companies and brands use palm oil to improve their products, in some way.
The Palm oil plantations don't have the same variety of trees and plants as the species that once stood there.
The different types:
It can be very confusing to tell whether the palm oil your eating is sustainable. That's why we've made this guide to make shopping easier:
Green Palm Credits
This is when a company buys credits for their palm oil to say that its sustainable. The problem with this is that we have no idea where the palm oil has come from and therefore whether it is actually sustainable. If you see this logo on the back of a package, it is up to you whether you would like to buy the product but it would be good to do some research about the company's palm oil policy so you can decide if you can buy the product again.
If you want to know more, look at these links:
Identity Preserved
This is when you can trace the palm oil right back to the farm where it was grown. If a product that you have bought says 'Identity Preserved' you can buy it. In our opinion, this is the best type of palm oil because we can be sure that no Orangutans were harmed when its made. Although, not many companies have Identity Preserved palm oil it is, generally, a more expensive and less effective way of creating palm oil, at the moment, because it has to be physically separated from other types of palm oil..
If you would like to find out more:
https://www.palmoilinvestigations.org/palm-oil-supply-chains.html
Mass Balance
This is when they mix the palm oil from the different farms at the mill and so there is a mix of sustainable and unsustainable palm oil. This is not the best type of palm oil, but it is better then Green palm credits. We rate this the second best type of Palm oil.
If you would like to find out more:
For more advice on consuming sustainable products we recommend visiting The Ethical Consumer