Avocados are good. Avocados are bad. Nut milk is the solution to hormone-stuffed dairy. No wait, it’s not. Say no to red meat! But don’t eat too much soy, either…Sound familiar? It should do; our world has become an increasingly uncompromising environment, where everything is branded villainous or virtuous with absolutely no grey areas allowed.
To air all of these opinions, we’re quick to take to social media, where call out culture silences anyone with a contrary view to whatever is trending. Sensationalist media picks up these often unfounded arguments, reaffirming and legitimizing them. But the fundamental problem here is that nothing is black and white and the desire to paint everything as such is compounding our problems.
This is perfectly exemplified in the case of palm oil. Multiple headlines spin it as the enemy and a threat to the planet and a to sustainability that must be boycotted. Influencers and beauty brands have been quick to encourage their audiences to do the same. And yet there’s rarely a full consideration or investigation into the claims that are being churned out.
Undeniably in some regions and cases, palm oil production has caused, and continues to cause, deforestation. And with deforestation comes the destruction of habitats, exploitation of local communities and a loss of biodiversity, increasing the risk of species extinction in the area. There have also been multiple reports of worker’s rights violations and other malpractices within the industry. These are serious issues – we can all agree on that – but what is the answer? “I absolutely don’t think boycotting palm oil is the solution. That’s just turning your back on the issue rather than engaging and finding a way to solve the problem,” says Fay Richards, communications manager at Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Palm oil is one of the most commonly used vegetable oils in the world – you’ll find it in everything from your margarine to your mascara. It is exceptionally versatile (it is great to cook with, has a high burning temperature, tastes pleasant and acts as a natural preservative) as well as being instrumental to the beauty industry. Palm oil is why your lipstick is so glossy, why your serum is so silky, and why your conditioner is so nourishing – it’s a key ingredient with moisturising and texturising properties that can be found within at leaast 70% of cosmetics products. It is versatile and efficacious, and it is also the highest yielding vegetable oil crop in the world. Sally Smith, head of sustainability at Upfield, the parent company of plant-based spread Flora, says that palm oil is a key ingredient for the consumer group; “it’s very efficient, and requires less land to produce, when compared with other oils and their sources. Therefore, we believe that sustainable palm oil is preferable to some other oil alternatives when looking at it from a combined environmental, taste and performance, and health perspective.” Fay agrees and warns that a boycott may not be in the planet’s best interests; “To simply swap palm oil for another oil crop would not only shift the issue, but would actually require more land, and therefore, potentially more deforestation and destruction,” explains Fay.
So what does sustainable palm oil look like? And how can it be monitored and governed? “The RSPO was founded in 2004 by key members Unilever and WWF to discuss lack of sustainability around palm oil,” says Fay. “We have developed a set of environmental and social criteria that is required in order to be certified as sustainable.” These criteria include principles on ethical and legal compliance, greenhouse gas reductions, air and water pollution control, community and human rights protections, forest management and to halt and reverse land degradation – to name a few.
“We’ve grown to over 4000 members across the whole industry, and currently, 19% of the worlds palm oil is sustainable,’ says Fay. “This will only increase if demand increases. If unsustainable palm oil growers are finding that their customers only want sustainable palm oil, they will seek RSPO certification and change the way they grow.”
Upfield is one company that have committed to the cause; “We already directly purchase 100% sustainably sourced RPSO palm oil for Flora. We vet our partners to verify compliance with Upfield policies and maintain transparency by publishing details of product ingredient sources. We are committed to driving industry transformation and to ensuring that deforestation doesn’t take place within our supply chain,” says Sally. “Beyond certification and policy compliance we also use new technology to help us deliver on our commitments. An example of this is the use of an innovative satellite monitoring technology platform to eradicate deforestation from our supply chain.”
Unfortunately, not all manufacturers adhere to the same standards, leaving the consumer to investigate the products they’re buying. In the cosmetics industry alone, palm oil can be listed on ingredient labels under more than 25 different names, making it almost impossible to identify. “It’s difficult for consumers and the onus shouldn’t be on them to check for all the certification and practices. Governments need to build on the voluntary initiatives like the RSPO in order to make sustainability in the palm oil industry the norm.”
With pressure mounting, we can only hope governments will listen and instigate change. Until then, it seems a blanket boycott might be palming the issue off, rather than furthering the cause…
