What’s wrong with Palm Oil?
Palm oil is the leading cause of orangutan extinction. It’s in 50% of all household and food products sold in the West. It’s an ingredient in shampoo, toothpaste, detergent, frozen microwave dinners, cookies, peanut butter, lotion, makeup and much more!
Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil made from the fruit of the African oil palm tree, which originates in West Africa. However, it can be grown successfully in any humid tropical climate and has taken a strong foothold in Indonesia.
Not only is Palm Oil bad for the environment, and a major cause of climate change, but it is also the leading cause of orangutan extinction.
Every year it is estimated that between 1,000 to 5,000 orangutans are killed in Palm Oil concessions. That is a significant portion of the wild orangutan population which is lost–without fail–every single year.
How can I help?
It’s not too late! This horrific trend can be stopped with a little help from all of us. Your consumer dollars can be the key to help save orangutans from extinction. The palm oil industry only thrives as long as there is a demand for palm oil and consumers keep buying products that contain palm oil. The way that consumers spend their money determines what gets produced and what gets sold.
Say NO to palm oil, and encourage your social circle to boycott palm oil. Many people are unaware of how many products contain palm oil, how many names palm oil goes by, and the dire conservation crisis facing wild orangutan populations and their tropical rain forest habitats. Start a conversation including ways in which we can help. Point them to orangutan.org/palmoil for more info.
Install an app on your phone to detect palm oil in products. Click here for a list of available apps.
Check out OFI’s 3 Easy Ways to Kick Palm Oil out of Your Life. Working together to eliminate palm oil consumption from our lives, we can weaken the demand for palm oil and stop orangutans from getting killed. It’s that simple!
Let companies know you care. Email to express your concern that a product contains palm oil, or submit inquires to see if a product contains any form of palm oil, including “sustainable” or RSPO palm oil. OFI supports a 100% boycott of palm oil, as certification schemes such as “RSPO” continue to permit deforestation and the destruction of peatland forests for plantation development.
DIY! (“Do it Yourself”) Many of the products that most commonly contain palm oil are easy to make at home. Check out this easy starter list from Selva Beat.
Download a List of Palm Oil Free Candy: Palm Oil Free Halloween Candy 2018
Help us find Palm Oil Free Products Join our scavenger hunt.
Support organizations like OFI. You can help us provide year-round care to the hundreds of orangutans who depend on that care for their very survival and ultimately, their return home to the forest by making a donation or fostering an orphan orangutan.