Published on: September 26, 2022
Konstantina Antoniadou
Lipstick, pizza dough, detergents, chocolate — what do all these seemingly unrelated things have in common? Palm oil! Yes, this vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of oil palm trees, has a slew of surprising uses such as foaming, binding and stabilizing.
This “versatility” is exactly what makes palm oil a key ingredient in so many products ranging from food and skincare to household cleaning. Nonetheless, with palm oil accounting for about 33% of global oils produced from oil crops in recent years, many social and environmental concerns started to rise.
The industry has been found guilty of the overexploitation of natural resources, deforestation, violations of human rights, and community conflict. So, unsurprisingly, most eco-conscious connoisseurs decided to stay away from this oil at all costs, BUT is this really the answer? Should we boycott palm oil altogether? No, not when sustainable palm oil is an option.
We, as consumers, can play a huge role in transforming the industry for the better. Traceability and transparency of the entire supply chain should be demanded. This antioxidant-rich vegetable oil is a part of our day-to-day lives. It’s in close to 50% of the packaged products we find in supermarkets. In fact, your grocery list probably contains at least 5 palm-oil-based products right now. Commercially packaged cookies are loaded with palm oil.
Palm can be grown for good, bringing benefits to:
Together, we can influence change for:
