A Little Big History of Palm Oil

What are the Goldilocks conditions for palm oil?

• Temperatures between 25 and 28 degrees C
• Lots of sunshine
• Plentiful rain
• Soil must be flat, deep and permeable
• If planted on peat, water table should be 30-50cm

Palm oil is used to make shortening used in a variety of products including baked goods and candy bars

Palm kernel oil is used for many purposes including as a glue to hold chocolate onto a cookie

Mass Balance

Sustainable Palm Oil?

Nestle

After being targeted by Greenpeace, Nestle committed to working towards using deforestation-free palm oil. With the help of the Forest Trust, they have worked to find a source of palm oil that meets far higher standards than those of the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil. Recently, third-party inspectors have confirmed that the palm oil is truly deforestation-free.

Deforestation-free Palm Oil

A Little Big History of Palm Oil

Consequences of soil containing too much water:

-Palm can contract a disease called white rot fungus Ganoderma boninense which kills the entire oil palm.

Tropical Forests possess these ideal conditions

-The Earth’s climate is also dependent on atmospheric circulation created by the trade winds and westerlies. Trade winds north of the equator blow from the northeast, and south of the equator from the southeast. The trade winds of the hemispheres meet near the equator, causing the air to rise. When the rising air cools, clouds and rain develop. This rainy weather near the equator forms the tropics.

-Climate is the long-term weather of a certain region on Earth’s surface. Air temperature and precipitation are defining factors of a region’s climate.

-The climate of a region determines the species of animals and plant that inhabit it, and therefore the Earth’s different biomes.

-The sun’s rays hit the equator on the Earth at a direct angle between 23° N and 23° S latitude. Therefore, the temperature is the hottest at the equator.

Photosynthesis and Development of Plant Life

-The Industrial Revolution in Europe sparked the international trade for palm oil because it was used as an ingredient in soap and as a lubricant for steam engines and other machinery.

-In 1848, Dutch tobacco planters brought the first African oil palm seedlings to southeast Asia to be planted as ornamental plants in botanical gardens.

-The earliest oil palm plantations were planted in South East Asia by British companies in the early 20th century.

Where is the Palm Oil Industry Going?

Steps in the right direction

The oil palm originated in West Africa but spread throughout Africa, Southeast Asia and South America.

-The earliest archaeological evidence of palm oil used by people is of residue in a jar inside a 5,000 year old Egyptian tomb. Palm oil was a traded commodity as it did not grow in Egypt.

Human migration from Africa across the globe, including to Southeast Asia and South America allowed for the development of networks for goods to be exchanged

According to the United Nations, Malaysia's deforestation rate is accelerating faster than that of any other tropical country in the world.

Indonesia is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind only China and the United States.

Modern Revolution:

Global Consequences of Unsustainable Palm Oil Production

A 2010 State Department report also found that some Malaysian palm plantations routinely use slave and child labor, and often displace indigenous communities from land that they have occupied for generations.

Small contributors to the vegetable oil industry are sunflower oil,

sesame seed oil, olive oil and corn oil.

Palm Oil

Rapeseed Oil

Soybean Oil

Palm oil plays an important role in the global vegetable oil market

Recently, nearly 100 intentional fires killed over 200 critically endangered animals.

• 50.0 million metric tons of palm oil are produced a year. It is a product of the African oil palm and is grown throughout the tropics.
• It has very high yields compared to other vegetable oil crops: 3.41 tons per hectare compared to .68 metric tons for rapeseed and .36 metric tons for soy.
• Oil palms also produce palm kernel oil which is solid at room temperature and therefore a substitute for animal products like butter and lard.

-43.1 million metric tons of soy are produced a year. Soybean oil is a byproduct of the soybean plant as it is primarily grown for livestock feed. Brazil, the United States and Argentina are the three largest producers of soy.

-22.7 million metric tons of rapeseed oil (including canola oil) each year. The major producers are Canada (which produces two-thirds), the European Union and China. The largest importers are the European Union and China.

Companies can purchase GreenPalm certificates to offset their use of unsustainable palm oil. However, these certificates do not change the methods used to produce the palm oil in anyway.

Companies can use a combination of "sustainable" palm oil and unsustainable palm oil for their products.

GreenPalm certificates can be purchased to offset the use of unsustainable palm oil. However, they do not change the source of the palm oil in any way.

Or, companies can purchase certified sustainable palm oil through the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. However, the certification standards are not rigorous enough to ensure that the palm oil produced doesn't contribute to human rights abuses or environmental destruction.

Why Palm?

Palm Oil has the highest yield of vegetable oil per hectare

• Palm Shortening
• Palm Kernel Oil
• Biofuels

Collective Learning: Increased Yields through Better Practices

-use of pesticides

-drainage systems to reduce flooding

- developing high yield producing strains of oil palm

- use of cover crops