PALM OIL
Promoting sustainable palm oil
Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world with
approximately 60 million tonnes produced each year, but when
produced unsustainably it can have negative consequences on
the environment and biodiversity.
Cultivated from the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), the majority of palm oil is
produced in Southeast Asia, although in recent years oil palm plantations have
been expanding rapidly in Africa as well as Central and South America. Due to its
high yield, producing up to ten times more oil per hectare than any other crop in
the world, the demand for it is increasing. This high demand has resulted in palm
oil being produced unsustainably, causing an array of negative environmental and
social consequences, including mass deforestation, biodiversity loss and complex
human welfare issues. Fortunately, sustainably produced palm oil limits or
eliminates these issues while benefiting people and aiding economies. Currently
only 19% of palm oil is certified as sustainable.
To help promote a world where all palm oil is 100% sustainably produced, Bristol
Zoological Society has developed the Global Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil
in collaboration with San Diego Zoo Global, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre,
Wildlife Reserves Singapore and Zoos Victoria. Together, we are promoting
certified sustainable palm oil by working with consumers and companies.
The Alliance acts as a supportive platform for organisations to collaborate,
communicate and share ideas, and aims to develop a global behaviour change
campaign which can be delivered by both zoo and non-zoo organisations.
Five year objectives:
- To create a strong Alliance that supports members in promoting certified
sustainable palm oil
- To create a behaviour change campaign that influences consumers to actively
seek out certified sustainable palm oil in products they purchase
- To collaborate with zoo and non-zoo organisations on the Alliance’s work and in
delivering the behaviour change campaign
- To conduct sound research which demonstrates the effect of the behaviour
change campaign on consumers knowledge and purchasing behaviour
- For Bristol Zoological Society to update its palm oil policy and to only purchase
products that contain palm oil certified as sustainable
Click here to download our Sustainable Palm Oil Strategy (pdf)
