Humans have a tendency to exploit until we deplete. We manipulate a resource until it is drained, or until the effects of its decline are so severe that we are forced to move on to another supply. A current resource that is caught in this cycle is the oil palm plant (Elais guineensis), in particular, the oil palm fruit. Because of its cheap price, high saturated fat levels (allowing it to withstand extreme deep frying and resistance to oxidation), low trans-fat levels, and its high levels of natural antioxidants, palm oil has become a popular resource. As of 2007, palm had the largest share of world vegetable oil production followed by soybean and canola oil.
Palm oil can be found in many derivatives: vitamin A palmitate, palmitic acid, palm kernel oil, palm pulp, among others. If you look down the ingredient list of your favorite box of cereal or the shampoo you washed your hair with this morning, it’s more than likely that you’ll see one of these palm ingredients.
Between 1967 and 2000, the land used for palm cultivation in Indonesia expanded from less than 2,000 square kilometers (1242.74 square miles) to more than 30,000 square kilometers (18641.14 square miles). Indonesia is now the world’s largest producer of palm oil. It produces approximately 50 percent of all palm oil volume. The United Nations Environment Programme reported that by 2022, most of the country’s native forests would be replaced by palm oil plantations.
Losing oxygen-producing trees to palm harvesting leads to large releases of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The palm oil industry has contributed to great economic growth in Indonesia and is the sole livelihood of many people. However, as demand increases, locals and indigenous groups are forced off their land to make room for the expanding industrial plantations.
One of the most lethal threats of the palm oil industry is its effect on wildlife. The Sumatran orangutan is among the most endangered. The orangutan moved from “vulnerable” in 1996 to “threatened” by 2007 on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Today it is suspected that fewer than 7,000 Sumatran orangutans exist, and that number falls each day. At the present rate of decline, the orangutan is expected to be extinct in the wild within our lifetime. Being a large species, it needs a large forested area to survive. As logging and palm plantations expand, orangutan habitat shrinks. They are also threatened by the wildlife trade and hunting.
Because palm oil is the mainstay of many villagers in Sumatra and Borneo, when an orangutan enters their plantation, they tend to shoot it in an effort to protect the crop. Under Indonesian law it is illegal to kill orangutans; however, many locals are not aware of the law or ignore it.
So, is there a way to balance palm oil production and environmental aims? A ban on palm oil does not appear to be the answer, as palm popularity is quickly spreading from Indonesian countries to the United States and Europe. It is being used in everything from food products to cosmetics and soaps to alternative fuel. Sustainable solutions such as those offered by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil seem to hold some promise. RSPO certification guarantees sustainable production practices and clean supply chains so consumers can make informed purchases. However, the standards are not always enforced and bad actors are not always penalized.
Sustainability rules need to be enforced for the RSPO to protect its legitimacy and to function effectively.
All of us here at the University have contributed to the exhaustion of just about every resource out there. As United States consumers, we have the chance to make a statement about this resource, and its devastating effects on the Indonesian environment. Palm oil demand is steadily increasing in the states. We can stop that.
While buying this week’s groceries, take the extra minute to check each product’s ingredient list for anything containing the world “palm.” By buying those products we are indirectly contributing to the release of carbon dioxide, loss of pristine environment, damaging fragile ecosystems, displacing locals and contributing to the extinction of the orangutan.
If your favorite brands and products contain any palm ingredients, I urge you all to contact the company and ask them if they purchase sustainable palm oil. Tell them you will no longer buy their product if they are not buying sustainable oil. Let the company know that you are aware of what is happening in Indonesia. Every product has a website, and every website gives you the means to contact that company.
All of the markets across campus purchase items that contain palm. Please, check those too.
If a community as large and influential as the University can dramatically reduce our palm oil consumption, we can act as a role model for many other campuses and communities in the United States.
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