You may have heard that palm oil is harmful to the environment. But what is palm oil and what impact is it having on climate change? Palm oil comes from oil palm trees. Up to 85% of palm oil is produced in countries of Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil is used in nearly 50% of all packaged products because it is versatile and has many different functions. It can give products a longer shelf life, it is an effective binding agent, make spreads more spreadable and it is odourless and colourless and does not alter the look and smell of foods. It is mainly used as cooking oil and is known as ‘vegetable oil’. Palm oil is one of the main causes of deforestation. About 18% of deforestation occurs to produce palm oil and it is particularly harmful to tropical rainforests in Indonesia.

So, should we avoid products that have palm oil? The answer to this question surprisingly is not necessarily.

Why alternatives to palm oil may not be good

What would happen if we all avoided products with palm oil and used other plants to produce alternative oil? The problem with switching away from palm oil to another type of oil is that alternative crops produce a lower yield. This would mean even more land would need to be cleared to produce alternative oils and this would make the problem of deforestation worse.  The reason why palm oil is a good option for many farmers is because it produces a high yield. The graph from Our World in Data shows the difference in yield for alternatives:

What should you do instead?

The best thing to do is to buy products which have used sustainable palm oil where possible. The global partnership, Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), provides a certification for products which use sustainable palm oil. So when you are shopping, look for RSPO certifications on the packaging. The most typical products you will find them in is shampoo and conditioner, cleaning products and food such as baked goods, snacks, chocolate, dairy products and processed food.