By AINSLEY KOCH,
environment editor

Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world and its uses are ever-expanding, but its production continues to cause devastating destruction to the environment and wildlife. 

Although pressure is rising on major companies to use only sustainable sources, most of its uses – it can be found, in various forms, in more than 50 per cent of items sold from supermarket shelves – remain hidden.

 An investigation by Greenpeace Australia earlier this year revealed a number of large businesses – including industry giants Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo – were yet to commit to using only certified sustainable sources of the oil or to clear labelling of its use on their products.

Since then some of those companies have taken a step forward by cutting ties with a problematic supplier, Malaysian palm oil giant IOI Group, after it was suspended from the world’s largest association for ethical palm oil production, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.

However, some supply chains remain unclear. 

The rising demand for palm oil has led to rapid deforestation and habitat destruction for thousands of animals in Indonesia and Sumatra, with vast areas of land being cleared for new plantations. Particularly affected are  orang-utans, but elephants and tigers are also suffering extensive habitat loss.

Mass habitat destruction forces orangutans closer to human settlements as they become desperate for food. In the worst cases, human interference has lead to poaching and death. This places orangutans on the critically endangered list in Sumatra and the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, in Borneo.

International Animal Rescue spokesperson Lis Key said palm oil harvesting had significantly affected the native orang-utan population of Indonesia. 

“Rapid deforestation is leaving wildlife without food or shelter, forcing animals to go in search of food where they run the risk of being attacked and killed by local people protecting their crops. Young orphaned orang-utans are caught and sold into captivity as pets,” she said.

But International Animal Rescue is hopeful that raising awareness will encourage Indonesians to look after the welfare of their native species.

“Raising awareness, education and outreach into local communities are at the heart of our project. Orang-utans need the goodwill and protection of local communities if they are to survive,” Ms Key said.

IAR rescued 40 orang-utans between August and December last year and are now caring for more than 50 infants previously kept as pets by Indonesian locals.

Zoos Victoria run educational programs about the impact of buying unsustainable palm oil. The zoo also supports the organisation Nyaru Mentang in Sumatra, which rescues and rehabilitates orang-utans. 

Melbourne Zoo community conservation officer Danielle Knox explained why unsustainable palm oil was detrimental to the environment and native wildlife in Indonesia.

“Unsustainable [palm oil] plant means the land is being cleared from the ground up. This makes it hard for the wildlife to survive,” she said.

Zoos Victoria runs an awareness program called “Don’t Palm Us Off” in conjunction with an online petition that calls for mandatory labelling so consumers know when palm oil is used in a product and whether it is certified sustainable. The aim is for all oils in food products to be clearly labelled.

Visitors to Melbourne Zoo can also participate in the zoo’s interactive game during their visit, called the “Zoopermarket”. You can find out what common food and grocery products properly label their palm oil use. 

According to the site palmoilinvestigations.org, there are more than 200 alternative names for palm oil that might be listed on a prodyuct, including vegetable oil, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, palm kernel oil, glyceryl stearate, cetyl alcohol, glycerin, magnesium stearate and oleic acid. 

While Greenpeace has revealed that combined action from NGOs and consumer pressure on retail giants to remove uncertified palm oil from their products has helped the movement, the majority of companies are yet to take action.

Eight-five per cent of Australians want mandatory labeling of all oils on products in supermarkets and have pledged their support by signing the Zoo’s Victoria online petition.

You can join the action to end deforestation through the Greenpeace Australia website.