save the orangutans Annalies draws

Greenpeace

Palm oil is mostly found in processed food brands and bars of soap. But its use is harming the habitats of endangered orangutans (just 100,000 left in the wild) and other endangered creatures, whose forest homes are chopped down or burned, in order to build cheap plantations to supply industry.

Read Planet Palm so you know what palm oil is, what the problems are and why ‘sustainable palm oil’ does not cut the mustard.

Other species at risk from palm oil logging are Sumatran tigers and rhinos, and sun bears. Shipping a cheap oil thousands of miles to England also creates climate emissions, making climate change worse. And of course clearing old-growth forests to plant fast-growing trees also reduces oxygen and creates more carbon emissions.

No Such Thing as ‘Sustainable Palm Oil’

The term ‘sustainable palm oil’ was coined by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil. But Greenpeace says the phrase is as ‘useful as a chocolate teapot’, as it has no legal backing, and some ‘sustainable brands’ have found to be supporting loggers who have literally burned some orangutans to death. The only ‘certified’ palm oil is that which is certified organic. But we don’t have enough land worldwide to supply the huge appetite for palm oil.

Hope the orangutan was shot 74 times and her baby killed. She is now blind, and being cared for by volunteers. All because she was defending her baby and forest from the palm oil industry.

Sustainable Alternatives to Palm Oil

Flora plant butter

Read posts on sustainable palm-oil-free alternatives to the main items sold in England:

You could also use rapeseed oil (locally-grown) as an alternative to butter. It’s healthier at high cooking temperatures than olive oil (which is best health-wise used cold in salads). Or learn to cook and bake without oil. Learn of the healthiest cooking oils to choose.

Choose Bar Soaps (with no palm oil)

SUMA soap

The other main consumer product sold with palm oil is bar soap. Years ago, most soaps were made with sodium tallowate (beef fat). Today, this has changed, but now most bars are made with palm oil (sodium palmate). Again, the term ‘sustainable palm oil’ on the packs, means nothing in law. Find palm-oil-free bars of handmade soap.

Friends of the Earth is asking big soap companies not to buy oil from conflict palm oil suppliers. One woman who had itchy skin (after using a best-selling soap) popped to the health shop, after the dermatologist couldn’t help. She bought a plain cheap bar of Oliva soap (olive oil, water and soap) and her skin started to heal ‘within hours’.

Use White Vinegar (instead of fabric softener)

Fabric conditioner often contains palm oil, but it reduces absorbency and can increase flammability of some clothing items. Instead, just add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the washing machine at the beginning of the rinse cycle (or fill into fabric softener dispensers, before each load).

Look for the Palm Oil Free Logo

palm oil free logo

Instead of looking for brands with ‘sustainable palm oil’ (oddly promoted by some vegan organisations), either make your own meals (no palm oil needed if you use fresh ingredients). Or look on ready-made foods (and soaps) for the Palm-Oil-Free Logo.

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