Palm Oil
A controversial topic for sure but one not to be ignored.
I unexpectedly found myself with 1kg tub of palm oil when I bought a soap making package and, knowing it was best to use it than to discard it, I decided to do a bit more homework to understand, with it's reputation for having such a horrendous environmental impact, why this product is still in use.
We should all avoid products containing palm oil at all costs, right? Well, that certainly was the message that I received. When starting out in the soap making business, I decided to avoid using palm oil in my formulations but I noticed that it's use was still widespread. I understood that people loved the qualities it brings to cold process soap but surely you can't dismiss the devastating environmental and social issues that we're all acutely aware of?
Well, I was intrigued, enlightened and truly upset by some of the information that I found but realized that supporting a sustainable approach to production could prove to be the well balanced position that we strive for, both as a manufacturer and also as a consumer myself.
So, I share here some of the facts that I uncovered and resources that I found helpful. I currently use sustainably sourced palm oil (RSPO certified) in some of my formulations and always clearly label these to allow my customers to make an informed decision with each purchase.
The History
Palm oil's success was it's own downfall. Versatility, stability and high yield led multiple industries to want more, more, more
The Excess
Extreme demand led to extreme measures for production. Vast degrees of deforestation led to an unpresidented impact on the environment
The Sustainable Approach
Still with all the exceptional qualities that made palm oil so widely popular, is there a way to manage the production while eliminating the negative impact?
An Overview and References
I won't reproduce the reports that are out there but I will highlight some important points and also list the main references for my research with links below for further reading.
The History
Palm oil tress are native to West Africa and flourish within a narrow band north/south of the equator. The palms were introduced as a crop to South East Asia and South America in the 19th century, where they have flourished and now produce the majority of the world's palm oil.
Palm oil has been favoured for it's unique combination of fatty acids that give the oil a broad range of characteristics unmatched by any other single oil of either animal or plant origin. As a solid at room temperature, palm oil contributes stability and can extend the shelf life of products. In food production, palm oil is a healthier alternative to other vegetable oils as it does not produce trans fats once processed. Additionally, palm oil contributes to the cleansing and moisturizing properties in cosmetic products and also a creamy bubble factor in soap.
The Excess
Between 1995 and 2015, global palm oil production quadrupled and is still growing.
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palm oil trees constitutes around 10% of global crops
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currently around 85% of the global palm oil production is from Malaysia and Indonesia
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supported by local governments in these areas, the boom in palm oil production is synonymous with poverty eradication
The demand for palm oil boomed in line with industrial and economical development in this same period of time
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currently more than 50% of the global use of palm oil is in Asia and in particular in India and China
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less than 14% of global use is in Europe and USA combined
The processed food industry was 'cleaned up' to remove partially hydrogenated vegetable oils containing trans-fats from the products by replacing them with palm oil
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palm oil is favoured for it's stability at room temperature, at high temperatures during cooking and for being flavourless
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more than two thirds of palm oil is used on food production and as a cooking oil
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during the boom period above, consumption of palm oil in the EU tripled
The cosmetics industry also found palm oil to be the ideal vegetable oil component for a move towards 'natural' products
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now 70% of personal care products contain palm oil or a derivative
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initially favoured as the environmentally friendly option to replace animal oils e.g. beef tallow and other synthetic alternatives
Increased demand led to extreme measures to increase production, alongside political pressure to keep costs low
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vast areas of forests have been cleared for palm farms leading to habitat loss and endangering numerous species
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widespread deforestation has had a significant impact on the global environment in terms of climate change
The Sustainable Approach
It is indeed possible to sustainably produce palm oil and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was established as a global, non-profit organization with the goal to transform the palm oil industry and make it sustainable. There is the possibility for companies throughout the supply chain to obtain the RSPO certification, although this can be a costly and an understandably complicated process. It is thought that many producers are working sustainably but have not been able to obtain the certification due to financial limitations.
Alternatives
No other oil has the same fatty acid profile as palm oil in order to make a direct substitution in cosmetic production. Good alternatives can be found in animal fats such as tallow or lard and to an extent in the plant oils from the coconut palm or in mango butter.
Animal products come with their own controversies and many prefer to avoid these in personal care products. So why don't we just switch from palm oil and substitute for a combination of other plant oils...surely then we can eliminate further deforestation? The answer is complex but here are some more figures to digest:
Palm oil provides significantly more oil per acre than any other oil crop plant
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palm oil supplies 40% of global plant oil demand on under 6% of the land used to grow all of the oil crops
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closest plant alternative coconut palm would need more than 4 times the area that is currently used for palm oil production, potentially leading to additional land clearance
My Resources and Further Reading
8 things to know about palm oil | WWF
How the world got hooked on palm oil | Palm oil | The Guardian
A global partnership to make palm oil sustainable - Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)