The road to sustainable palm oil
Friday 25 November 2011
Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world, appearing in products from soap to biscuits, but the planet is struggling to keep pace with the rate of production.
To tackle the impact that palm oil is having on tropical forests and species such as tigers, ZSL conservationists have mapped out how the industry can work together to achieve a sustainable product.
Towards sustainable palm oil: a framework for action (3.2 MB) covers issues from land use planning, to certification, providing a comprehensive assessment of what needs to be done to set the market firmly on the road to sustainable palm oil.
Malaysia and Indonesia currently produce over 90 per cent of the world’s palm oil. They are also home to some of the world’s most wildlife-rich habitats. Now with the expansion of large-scale oil palm plantations in Latin American and African Countries on the horizon, it is imperative that a workable sustainable model for the supply of palm oil is found.
ZSL conservationists are calling on every link in the supply chain, from growers to traders, to work together and share the responsibility of ensuring both the socio-economic and environmental needs of these countries are met.
This will mean that more products containing Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) appear on supermarket shelves, meeting consumer demand for wildlife-friendly items.
Towards sustainable palm oil: a framework for action (3.2 MB) is the output of the symposium ‘Sustainable palm oil: challenges, a common vision and the way forwards’ held at ZSL in May 2011.
