Certified sustainable palm oil forests are being destroyed faster than non-certified forests. Yes, you read that right: plantations with eco-friendly endorsements have lost 38% of their forests since 2007, while non-certified areas have lost 34%, according to 2018 research from Purdue University [add link]. I know this might not seem like a big difference to you, but consider this: so-called sustainable palm oil is literally called that because it is produced in a way that limits deforestation and minimises its connected environmental problems. But in reality, the use of sustainability labels and eco accreditation has allowed for even larger expansions of palm oil plantations. These plantations subsequently drive near-extinct orangoutangs off their land, obliterate biodiversity, and destroy carbon-sequestering rainforests. Based on these deforestation trends, unless we finally accept that ‘sustainable palm oil’ is an oxymoronic term, and urge our governments and businesses to end the acceptance of phoney accreditations. Then the world will almost completely lose all of the South East Asian rainforest within the next decade. Sorry folks, it’s time to put the Nutella down because the verdict is in: there’s no such thing as sustainable palm oil, and I’m here to explain why.
What is palm oil?
This isn’t a stupid question, don’t worry. We’re all about self-education out here, so buckle up and get ready to learn kids.
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of oil palm trees. It’s in nearly everything – like, I’m talking close to 50% of all packaged products that we find in supermarkets, everything from peanut butter, cookies, and chocolate. To deodorant, shampoo, soap, and mascara. It’s become the most widely used vegetable oil on earth... even though its the worst vegetable oil for the Earth. Go figure.
Why has it become so ubiquitous, you ask? Well, because it’s a very efficient crop to farm, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it has a number of attractive properties that make it really versatile. Firstly it’s a semi-solid state at room temperature which enables it to maintain spreadability in various condiments and spreads (e.g. Nutella, Biscoff, Skippy peanut butter). Secondly, it’s resistant to oxidation, so it helps to ensure extended shelf-life for products. Thirdly, it has high temperature stability and thus helps create the desired crispy texture of fried food items. And fourthly, it’s odourless and colourless, which therefore ensures that the appearance and aroma of food products is unaffected.
Basically, it’s a perfect all rounder (show off) that’s also a huge dick, and hates the planet. Sounds like a bad bloke, wouldn’t you agree?
Why is palm oil bad?
Palm oil is one of the most lucrative cash crops of our modern age. Its versatility and efficiency have made it so ubiquitous in our day to day products that it has arguably become an intrinsic staple of contemporary living. Unfortunately, it is these very attributes that have placed palm oil in such high demand that its cultivation has become environmentally, socially and politically destructive. What does this mean on the ground...let me explain.
Firstly, palm oil cultivation is a MAJOR driver of deforestation. Specifically rainforest deforestation. We’ve all seen The Lorax enough times to know that cutting down trees (especially rainforest trees) is bad, but do you know why?
- Loss of biodiversity
Tropical rainforests make up the world’s most biodiverse biomes. Up to 85% of natural forest species are lost when rainforests are converted to oil palm plantations. Destroying this biodiversity means that we destabilise important ecosystems, threaten species survival (such as the already endangered orangutang and pygmy elephant), and disrupt important ecological services.
- Climate change impact
Rainforests act as carbon sinks, absorbing significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and helping to regulate global climate patterns. Deforestation (and subsequent burning) releases large amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere, and therefore contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Plus, less trees = less absorption of CO2. It’s a vicious cycle.
- Soil erosion and water cycle disruption
Rainforest trees have deep root systems that anchor the soil and prevent erosion. Deforestation exposes the soil to erosion, leading to its degradation, reduced fertility, and increased vulnerability to landslides and floods. The trees also play a vital role in regulating the water cycle: they intercept rainfall, purify it and then release it gradually therefore slowing down the cycle and helping minimise events such as flash floods. Without the rain forests to regulate soil and water health, agriculture becomes more difficult, flash flooding is more frequent, and water pollution becomes more common (also because of the heavy chemicals used in palm oil production FFS).
Think of it like this: tropical rainforest deforestation is like a disastrous magic trick with no punchline. It pulls disappearing acts on biodiversity, adds carbon emissions as its grand finale, and turns soil into a crumbling mess. Sounds like shit, right?
A further problem with palm oil cultivation lies in its human rights violations: these include land grabbing, forced labor, child labor, and exploitation of indigenous communities. Unlike here in the UK, where we have strong labour regulations. Most of the world’s palm oil plantations operate in developing countries with poor labour regulations and inadequate safeguards for workers' rights and local communities. This means that huge conglomerates build an empire over the blood, sweat, and tears of the world’s most vulnerable...all so you can eat a digestive biccie. Isn’t that fucked up?
Can palm oil be sustainable?
In a word: no. But, there are some certification groups out there that claim to be trying to make palm oil better for the planet.
According to Greenmatters sustainable palm oil exists, and can be defined as any palm oil that has been declared sustainable by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO): a regulating body set up in 2004...by the palm oil industry. Anyone else notice the problem here?
You guessed it: the RSPO is about as much use as a glass hammer in regulating the industry. It literally took them 14 whole years to ban their members from destroying forests, which it finally did in 2018. And yet as of today, they still haven’t actually enforced this rule...so their so-called sustainable members, are continuing to deforest the rainforest and they’re getting away with it.
According to Greenpeace, RSPO members were at the forefront of Indonesia’s 2015 forest fire crisis. In 2021 the fires returned, and approximately 75% of the fires linked to palm oil cultivation originated on RSPO members’ land. Now, that doesn’t sound very ‘certified sustainable’ does it?
So, does sustainable palm oil exist? On paper, sure; in practice, not so much. In the years since the RSPO was formed, palm oil production has continued to ravage rainforests in Southeast Asia. The RSPO is a weak regulating body that has no interest in curbing palm oil and its disastrous ecological effects. I would go so far as to argue that the RSPO’s primary concern is how to continue with destructive palm oil cultivation, and get away with it. This is greenwashing in its purest form, and it is our duty to do something about it!
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