Answers to FAQs
What Products Are At Issue?
You would be amazed how many products contain palm oil! While in Asia and Africa, palm oil is most often used as a cooking oil, in the United States, palm oil is found in processed foods, cosmetics and cleaning supplies. Everyday foods and products that contain palm oil include: cookies, peanut butter, ice cream, shampoo, lipstick, candles and paint, donuts, cereal, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, chocolate, margarine, cheese, shaving cream, granola bars, mac and cheese, makeup, cool whip, frozen meals, candy, gum, chips, mouthwash, pet food, cookies, cleaning supplies, and french fries.
You might not recognize palm oil as palm oil because it goes by many names, including palmitate, sodium laureth sulfate, stearic acid, palmate, PKO, glyceryl stearate, and vegetable oil, to name a few.
You would be amazed how many products contain palm oil! While in Asia and Africa, palm oil is most often used as a cooking oil, in the United States, palm oil is found in processed foods, cosmetics and cleaning supplies. Everyday foods and products that contain palm oil include: cookies, peanut butter, ice cream, shampoo, lipstick, candles and paint, donuts, cereal, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, chocolate, margarine, cheese, shaving cream, granola bars, mac and cheese, makeup, cool whip, frozen meals, candy, gum, chips, mouthwash, pet food, cookies, cleaning supplies, and french fries.
You might not recognize palm oil as palm oil because it goes by many names, including palmitate, sodium laureth sulfate, stearic acid, palmate, PKO, glyceryl stearate, and vegetable oil, to name a few.
Why Should I Care?
Because, whether you know it or not, you most likely used or ate something with palm oil TODAY. Palm oil is in numerous products we eat and use everyday and the sad fact is that palm oil production has serious negative social and environmental impacts:
Labor Rights
Workers in the palm oil supply chain are often abused, work for low pay, and are lacking the basic necessities for living. Many workers are immigrants who come to palm oil plantations in search of work, and are lied to about working conditions. When they arrive, their accommodations sometimes lack running water and they are subject to abuse and harassment at work. Passports and visas are stolen so they cannot leave.
Workers on palm oil plantations often have nearly impossible quotas to fill, and children will help their parents work. These children carry heavy loads, can be exposed to dangerous pesticides, and are at risk for injuries or heat exhaustion. Further, as the children are working, they are not in school, making it more likely than not that they’ll continue the cycle of abuse and poverty like past generations.
Environmental Concerns
Clearing land for more palm oil production results in deforestation, as well as pollution of water and soil. Communities living in those areas lose their natural resources and have to rely completely on big companies who take over the land for palm oil production.
Deforestation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Rainforests store carbon, and when they are destroyed, the carbon is released into the atmosphere. In fact, Indonesia is the world’s third largest greenhouse gas emitter, and that is mainly due to the destruction of rainforests.
Deforestation also destroys the habitats of endangered species, including pygmy elephants and Sumatran tigers.
Social/Community Issues
Companies taking over land for palm oil plantations push out rural communities. Often, the land is obtained by working with corrupt governments or using violence – either way, communities themselves have no voice in their own futures and land they have lived on for generations is sold out from under them. Indigenous communities lose burial grounds and sacred lands.
Governments often support palm oil production, ultimately at the detriment to their people, because of the economic benefits. The governments of Malaysia, Liberia and Indonesia support palm oil production, for example, while citizens of these countries are being harmed through production.
Because, whether you know it or not, you most likely used or ate something with palm oil TODAY. Palm oil is in numerous products we eat and use everyday and the sad fact is that palm oil production has serious negative social and environmental impacts:
Labor Rights
Workers in the palm oil supply chain are often abused, work for low pay, and are lacking the basic necessities for living. Many workers are immigrants who come to palm oil plantations in search of work, and are lied to about working conditions. When they arrive, their accommodations sometimes lack running water and they are subject to abuse and harassment at work. Passports and visas are stolen so they cannot leave.
Workers on palm oil plantations often have nearly impossible quotas to fill, and children will help their parents work. These children carry heavy loads, can be exposed to dangerous pesticides, and are at risk for injuries or heat exhaustion. Further, as the children are working, they are not in school, making it more likely than not that they’ll continue the cycle of abuse and poverty like past generations.
Environmental Concerns
Clearing land for more palm oil production results in deforestation, as well as pollution of water and soil. Communities living in those areas lose their natural resources and have to rely completely on big companies who take over the land for palm oil production.
Deforestation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Rainforests store carbon, and when they are destroyed, the carbon is released into the atmosphere. In fact, Indonesia is the world’s third largest greenhouse gas emitter, and that is mainly due to the destruction of rainforests.
Deforestation also destroys the habitats of endangered species, including pygmy elephants and Sumatran tigers.
Social/Community Issues
Companies taking over land for palm oil plantations push out rural communities. Often, the land is obtained by working with corrupt governments or using violence – either way, communities themselves have no voice in their own futures and land they have lived on for generations is sold out from under them. Indigenous communities lose burial grounds and sacred lands.
Governments often support palm oil production, ultimately at the detriment to their people, because of the economic benefits. The governments of Malaysia, Liberia and Indonesia support palm oil production, for example, while citizens of these countries are being harmed through production.
What Can I Do To Be Part of the Solution?
As a consumer, you have the power to purchase products that are created without harm to workers or the environment. And when such products aren’t available, you have the right to demand that companies make them available.
Sometimes the hard part is finding out which products you should buy and which to avoid. The World Wildlife Fund assessed 130 companies that use palm oil, and came up with a scorecard. You can download it here. Ethical consumer also has a list of products that are either palm oil free or use ethical palm oil.
You should also write to stores asking that they stock only ethical products and to companies demanding that they employ ethical practices and better labeling standards.
As a consumer, you have the power to purchase products that are created without harm to workers or the environment. And when such products aren’t available, you have the right to demand that companies make them available.
Sometimes the hard part is finding out which products you should buy and which to avoid. The World Wildlife Fund assessed 130 companies that use palm oil, and came up with a scorecard. You can download it here. Ethical consumer also has a list of products that are either palm oil free or use ethical palm oil.
You should also write to stores asking that they stock only ethical products and to companies demanding that they employ ethical practices and better labeling standards.
What Countries Are Involved?
Malaysia and Indonesia produce 85% of the world’s supply of palm oil. Other producers are Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Liberia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Colombia.
Malaysia and Indonesia produce 85% of the world’s supply of palm oil. Other producers are Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Liberia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Colombia.
Where Can I Learn More?
Ethical Consumer provides a list of palm oil-free products and products that use ethical palm oil, as well as helpful background information.
The World Wildlife Fund’s Report ranks 130 companies that use palm oil.
Oxfam reports on palm oil in Guatemala.
Greenpalm is a certificate training program that works to improve palm oil production.
The Rainforest Action Network provides information about deforestation and other environmental effects of the palm oil industry.
This report from Humanity United looks at the consequences for the workers on palm oil plantations, as well as a history and overview of palm oil production.
Here you’ll find information about supply chain, human trafficking, and child labor in the palm oil production process from World Vision Action.
This resource from Forest People’s Program looks at the social impact of the palm oil industry on communities and their environments.
As part of its campaign to raise awareness of the palm oil industry, WWF created this movie trailer.
Ethical Consumer provides a list of palm oil-free products and products that use ethical palm oil, as well as helpful background information.
The World Wildlife Fund’s Report ranks 130 companies that use palm oil.
Oxfam reports on palm oil in Guatemala.
Greenpalm is a certificate training program that works to improve palm oil production.
The Rainforest Action Network provides information about deforestation and other environmental effects of the palm oil industry.
This report from Humanity United looks at the consequences for the workers on palm oil plantations, as well as a history and overview of palm oil production.
Here you’ll find information about supply chain, human trafficking, and child labor in the palm oil production process from World Vision Action.
This resource from Forest People’s Program looks at the social impact of the palm oil industry on communities and their environments.
As part of its campaign to raise awareness of the palm oil industry, WWF created this movie trailer.