Palm oil comes from the palm fruit while palmist oil is derived from the kernel. Cosmetics manufacturers prefer it to animal tallow for its ease of application and low price. Moreover, the vast majority of palm oil is traced only as far as the mill where it’s processed, not to the field where it’s produced. Its low production costs make it cheaper than frying oils such as cottonseed or sunflower. To identify palm oil in our products, take a look at the ingredients list on packaging. Industry subsequently invested heavily in milling technology to extract the oil from the fruit. In 2017, for the second year running, L’Oréal was awarded an “A” score by CDP, the highest possible level of performance.Â. As yields climbed, and the cost of labour to manually pollinate the trees was more efficiently deployed for picking the fruit, there was an explosion in the volume of land devoted to oil-palm plantations. alm oil’s world domination is the result of five factors: first, it has replaced less healthy fats in foods in the west. (However, it is not impossible to produce palm oil sustainably, and several organisations certify sustainable producers.) By the early 1990s, though, it became clear that the process by which the oils in margarine were made, known as partial hydrogenation, actually created a different kind of fat – trans fat – that was even unhealthier than saturated fat. ), Commodity-producing countries need only answer to their buyers, though, while those buyers must respond to consumers. Mill effluent that was once dumped into nearby streams now produces electricity. Palm oil is a common ingredient in Sainsbury’s products – from shampoo to biscuits – and we work hard to source it from sustainable sources. “On a certain day, all these tanks had to be emptied of trans-containing components and refilled with trans-free components,” Van Duijn said. Officials further insisted that deforestation was being halted and sustainability achieved, even as another speaker told the attendees deforestation had actually increased in some areas over the previous decade. We aim to sustainably source the palm oil we use. (Tellingly, Iceland found it impossible to fulfill its 2018 pledge. “The cost of production is far less than any compared [comparable] vegetable or animal fat,” said Sundram, of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council. The oil palm is blessed with many attributes that have helped it on its path to dominance. But that model isn’t sustainable. By 2050, it is expected to quadruple again, reaching 240m tonnes. Across all P&G products. last April, the supermarket Iceland pledged, palm oil’s share of biofuel raw material leapt fivefold in that period, disputed these claims, calling on government and industry to do more for farmers independent of the big plantations. Palm oil can be used as an adhesive that binds together the particles in fibreboard. Davidson had come to British Malaya in 1951 at the age of 20 to work on a Unilever plantation. We’re unequivocally committed to zero deforestation in our palm supply chain. More about P&G’s efforts on palm oil. Palm oil is the most popularly used vegetable oil in the world. Palm oil is the mega-ingredient which can be found in Indonesia and Malaysia and needs a rainforest environment to grow. It provides the foaming agent in virtually every shampoo, liquid soap or detergent. He recruited three entomologists, led by the Pakistani scientist Rahman Syed, who travelled to Cameroon to investigate. Over the same period, fat consumption in rural areas grew by 35% and in urban areas by 25%, and palm oil has been a major ingredient in this escalation. Because of these wondrous qualities, people came from around the world to buy the fruit and its oil. But the Environmental Investigation Agency, an offshoot of Greenpeace, three years ago found RSPO to be “woefully substandard” and “in some cases … colluding … to disguise violations”. Between 1993 and 2013, Indian per capita GDP expanded from $298 to $1,452. After years of hard work, we are proud that 98% of the palm used in our own-brand products is certified sustainable. INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm … If we don’t do this, then deforestation … It functions as a natural preservative in processed foods, and actually does raise the melting point of ice-cream. The best plantations currently yield around six or seven tonnes of oil per hectare, but Singh said, “we’ve seen individual palms that can give almost double” the amount of oil compared to common strains. In the past, when tallow was used in products such as soaps, a byproduct of the meat industry – animal fat – was put to good use. Since this oil can cause sticky build-up, it’s best to keep the concentration to below 10 percent of your total ingredients. We are committed to supporting independent smallholders, who make up to 40% of palm oil production, by helping them grow without causing further deforestation. As the outcry spread, and concern rose among producers that the continued deforestation would become a risk to their reputations, the World Wildlife Federation that year convinced a small number of palm growers, manufacturers and retailers to establish the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. Finally, as those Asian countries have grown richer, they have begun to consume more fat, much of it in the form of palm oil. Shampoo bars. Determining which products contain palm oil, let alone how sustainably it has been sourced, requires an almost supernatural level of consumer consciousness. • This piece has been edited to correct the attribution of a report, to “Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of Indonesian NGOs that includes the WWF”, rather than to the WWF alone. It can handle frying without spoiling, and blends well with other oils. It can succeed in soils that can’t sustain other crops. Palm oil is in nearly everything – it’s in close to 50% of the packaged products we find in supermarkets, everything from pizza, doughnuts and chocolate, to deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste and lipstick. Its combination of different types of fats and its consistency after refining make it a popular ingredient in packaged baked goods. In the places where the fruit came from, people burned down the forest so they could plant more trees that grew the fruit – making lots of nasty smoke and sending all of the creatures of the forest scurrying away. Unlike in food and home and personal care products, where palm’s chemical makeup makes it the perfect alternative, when it comes to biofuel, palm, soybean, rapeseed and sunflower oils all perform equally well. My search led me to the Beauty section at Whole Foods, where I still made exasperatingly slow headway… until I discovered this gem: Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat (say it five times fast) shampoo. If things continue, the forests and their creatures will be gone, and the cost of labour will increase as some workers move up the economic ladder and realise there are better things they could be doing than picking fruit. Palm oil’s world domination is the result of five factors: first, it has replaced less healthy fats in foods in the west. But palm has one big advantage over these rival oils: price. Suitable for all hair types, it’s made without palm oil, detergents, sulphates or fragrances. Consumption in the EU more than tripled between Project Paddington and 2015. Choose a botanical shampoo made with natural, plant based ingredients that will deeply nourish your hair, removing impurities to keep it clean without the use of harsh chemicals that can damage the hair and irritate the skin. Like with most self-care products, when something has less ingredients, it’s usually better. When it’s out of sight, it’s difficult to get enough of them to care. Alongside the IMF, private finance has helped boost production: Dutch banks alone provided more than $12bn in loans to Indonesian palm producers in the years 1995-99. Packaged-food sales spiked 138% over roughly the same period; for pennies, you can buy dozens of packaged snacks containing palm oil. It is extraordinarily difficult to make sure that palm oil is being sustainably produced. With palm oil, “the reality is that the western part of world is [a small share] of palm oil consumption, and the rest of the world doesn’t give a shit”, said Neil Blomquist, managing director of Colorado-based Natural Habitats, which produces palm oil in Ecuador and Sierra Leone to the highest level of sustainability certification. In any case, greater consumer awareness in the west will not have much impact, given that Europe and the US account for less than 14% of global demand. Palm oil. Palm oil derivatives are glycerol, fatty acids or fatty alcohols, ingredients used in products for their emollient or foaming properties.  Nevertheless, half of certified-sustainable palm oil isn’t sold as sustainable: until a sufficient number of consumers are willing to pay the higher price for certified palm oil, little will change. Historically, soap often came from animal tallow, and shampoo, which originated on the Indian subcontinent, was first made with plant-based surfactants (a substance that acts as a detergent, emulsifier or foaming agent). In order to find shampoo without palm oil, you absolutely have to be a conscious consumer. Globally, we each consume an average of 8kg of palm oil a year. No other oil could be refined to the consistency needed for Unilever’s various margarine blends and baked goods without producing trans fat. Worldwide production of palm oil has been climbing steadily for five decades. Eventually Syed determined that Davidson’s hunch was correct: a particular species of weevil was pollinating the oil palm trees, and Davidson received permission from the Malaysian government to import some. In those years, the poverty rate fell by half while the population climbed by 36%. The switchover happened suddenly. The change from animal-based fats to palm oil came with a certain irony. Two examples are Sodium Lauryl Sulfate also called SLS and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). It’s in 50% of all household and food products sold in the West. Palm oil’s versatility is not limited to food. Here’s the scoop: Palm oil is often disguised, hidden behind many different ingredient names you probably don’t recognize when you go to your pantry or bathroom to check. The RSPO says having less strict certification criteria encourages participation, the hope being that manufacturers of retail products will ramp up to higher levels once they see they can sell certified palm oil for a higher price. “Industry is simply palming off the benefits to the consumer.”. nce upon a time in a land far, far away, there grew a magical fruit. PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN CRUDE PALM OIL: COLGATE PALMOLIVE Shampoos (AP) tortillas (AP)Conditioners (AP) Body wash (AP) Soaps (AP) Liquid handsoap (AP) Shower gel (AP) COLGATE Toothpastes (AP) Mouthwash … There is no easy solution. This fruit could be squeezed to produce a very special kind of oil that made cookies more healthy, soap more bubbly and crisps more crispy. Today, more than two-thirds of palm oil goes into food. Palm oil free shampoo. Make Your Next Shampoo a Palm Oil Free Shampoo. Large scale use of palm oil is a problem. Oil palm trunks and fronds can be made into everything from plywood to the composite body of Malaysia’s national automobile. Manufacturers of Cetearyl Alcohol often state that it is made from coconut oil and MAY use palm oil, but JC has not found a palm-free Cetearyl Alcohol yet. Wealthy consumers are capitalising on the cheap labour and valuable rainforest that developing nations have in abundance and are willing to part with at a discount to accelerate their economic growth. The oil palm originated in west Africa, and had been introduced from there to Malaysia in 1875. Later, synthetic ingredients came into favour, with animal tallow joining them in the 20th century. For decades, palm’s production advantage went unrealised, until a Scot named Leslie Davidson instigated perhaps the most significant innovation in the industry’s history. Palm oil producers and consumers will be left with nothing. Where they once cooked with soya oil, palm oil has replaced it. To date, research has traced 95% of the total palm oil derivatives volume back to the refineries, 85% to the mills and 25% to the plantations. Sustainability criteria were later added – although Oxfam and others have criticised their effectiveness – and earlier this month European commissioners proposed new limits on biofuel crops tied to deforestation. “Unilever was always very conscious of the health interests of consumers of its products,” said James W Kinnear, a Unilever board member at the time. For all the palm oil that now goes into food in Europe and the US, Asia uses far more: India, China, and Indonesia account for nearly 40% of all palm oil consumed worldwide. The WWF has now applauded our efforts. As trees reach the end of their productive life of 25-30 years, they could be replaced by more prolific strains. “Palm and palm kernel oil dropped in as the replacement.”. Instead, it was the perfect commodity at the right moment for industry after industry, each of which adopted it to replace ingredients and never turned back. We use palm oil and its derivatives thanks to their multiple benefits such as skin hydration, foaming, softening and texturising actions in products.Â. Most shampoo has several palm oil ingredients. On 21 February, 1981, 2,000 Elaeidobius kamerunicus were released at Unilever’s Mamor estate in Johor. In 1997, a European commission report called for increasing the percentage of total energy consumption from renewable sources. Sayner believes that the BSE outbreak of the early 1990s, when a brain disease among cattle spread to some people who ate beef, triggered a larger shift in consumption habits. Between them, Domino’s Pizza, Subway, Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts – all of which use palm oil – now have 2,784 stores in the country, according to reporting by the Nation. Malaysia’s minister of primary industries, Teresa Kok, told the European Palm Oil Conference in Madrid in October: “Palm oil is synonymous with poverty eradication.” Malaysia began its programme to boost palm exports as a means of poverty reduction in 1961, four years after independence from Britain. The new pollination technique was a key factor in palm oil’s growth. As the palm industry expanded, conservationists and environmental organisations such as Greenpeace started to raise the alarm about its devastating effects on carbon emissions and wildlife habitat. Manufacturers looking for alternatives found that palm and palm kernel oils contain the same set of fat types as tallow. Then everybody was upset, because they loved the forest’s creatures and thought the temperature was warm enough already. India’s fast food market grew 83% just between 2011 and 2016. Morning palm oil might be found in toothpaste, cereal, or conditioner. For instance, a product can earn a “certified sustainable” label even if 99% of the palm oil it includes came from freshly deforested land. It can succeed in soils that can’t sustain other crops. Twenty Unilever plants in 15 countries needed to remove partially hydrogenated oils from 600 fat blends and replace them with trans-fat free components. Labels, what are they and what are they for? Forests destroyed for oil palm plantations are among the most carbon-rich in the world. Today, 3 billion people in 150 countries use products containing palm oil. It was a good 20 years after the first alarms about deforestation in Brazil that consumer action slowed – not stopped – the destruction. Four years later, the company transferred him to Cameroon. Widespread adoption of palm oil began with processed foods. Before the European Palm Oil Association meeting, RSPO’s head of European operations, Inke van der Sluijs, admitted that “very few companies do [the highest level of sustainability certification] because of the complexity and length of the supply chain”. When they are burned, that carbon is released. First, he needed to figure out what could replace trans fat while maintaining its favourable properties, such as remaining solid at room temperature – a necessity for inexpensive butter substitutes as well as manufactured goods such as cookies. In October, at the European Palm Oil Association meeting in Madrid, government officials from the two countries trumpeted the successes in poverty reduction they had achieved thanks to palm oil (though growers in Indonesia, at least, have disputed these claims, calling on government and industry to do more for farmers independent of the big plantations). Because of these wondrous qualities, people came from around the world to buy the fruit and its oil. Our palm oil trees are grown in Malaysia and Indonesia, which represents 85% of the world’s palm oil supply. In Malaya, the plantations were employing hundreds of people to hand-pollinate the flowers, yet pollination occurred more efficiently in Cameroon. When they are burned, that carbon is released. No other alternative could provide the same advantages across such a wide range of products. Unilever was the trailblazer; after Van Duijn organised the company’s switch to palm oil, virtually every other food manufacturer followed. It was the only alternative to partially hydrogenated oils, Van Duijn told me. In response, a backlash against palm oil has developed: last April, the supermarket Iceland pledged that it would cut palm oil from all its own-brand foods by the end of 2018. Third, it has replaced more expensive oils in home and personal care products. The following year, the country saw an increase in yield of 400,000 tonnes of palm oil and 300,000 tonnes of palm kernels. They have been proven to work in various studies. In 2001, the American Heart Association issued a statement declaring that “the optimal diet for reducing risk of chronic diseases is one in which saturated fatty acids are reduced and trans fatty acids from manufactured fats are virtually eliminated”. Palm oil is a really important issue and Unilever has been at the forefront of driving industry-wide change for more than 15 years. It's in loads of products we use - from toiletries like shampoos and soap, to cereals and biscuits. These new revenue streams reduce planters’ risk by providing income even when palm oil prices are down (such as right now), and have helped them face headwinds such as the increasing costs of labour and fertiliser. By Paul Tullis, How the world got hooked on palm oil – podcast, From rainforest to your cupboard: the real story of palm oil - interactive, ‘It’s God’s plan’: the man who dreams of bringing intensive chicken farming to Africa, Orangutans rescued near a palm oil plantation in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Palm oil derivatives are glycerol, fatty acids or fatty alcohols, ingredients used in products for their emollient or foaming properties. Most importantly, it gives the highest yield per acre of any oilseed crop – almost five times as much oil per acre as rapeseed, almost six times as much as sunflower and more than eight times as much as soybeans. Apparently, Cetearyl Alcohol is the most widely used emulsifier in skincare, and also found as a blend within other emulsifiers. Where they once cooked with soya oil, palm oil has replaced it. It is increasingly used as a cheap raw material for biofuels, especially in the European Union. he oil palm is blessed with many attributes that have helped it on its path to dominance. Growth has been fastest in India, where an accelerating economy has been another factor in palm oil’s newfound popularity. But palm oil is no longer just used for home cooking in India – today it is a big part of the country’s growing junk food industry. Palm oil has become ubiquitous because it is the perfect ingredient for a number of growing industries, the perfect export for developing economies, and the perfect commodity for the globalised economy that links them. Palm oil is a form of vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree (Elaeis Guineensis). But our dependence on palm oil has devastating environmental consequences. Second, producers have pushed to keep its price low. It is perennial and evergreen, enabling year-round production. This fruit could be squeezed to produce a very special kind of oil that made cookies more healthy, soap more bubbly and crisps more crispy. Colombia is aggressively pursuing palm oil development in areas formerly devoted to illegal crops such as coca, but it has a lot of catching up to match Asia’s output. Palm oil in the morning . The palm oil industry often faces criticism for the deforestation it continues to cause and its consequences: clearing of wild animals’ natural habitat (including rainforests), and depletion of valuable carbon sinks including peatlands and trees. It can be found under the name ELAEIS GUINEENSIS OIL. Growth has been fastest in India, where an accelerating economy has been another factor in palm oil’s newfound popularity. Traces of impurities and contaminants: definition, regulation and control, 100% of the palm oil sourced by L’Oréal has complied with, Our ambition and achievements in fighting deforestation have been recognised. It is exceptionally efficient at photosynthesis for a perennial tree, and requires less preparation of the soil than other sources of vegetable oils, reducing costs. Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of Indonesian NGOs that includes the WWF – the same organisation that spurred palm oil certification – said in a 2016 report that “mill traceability [on its own] wastes time and money without offering a solution to the issues of illegal product entering the supply chains”. he short-term benefits to plantation owners and labourers, producer-nations’ governments and financiers have come with enormous long-term costs to the global climate. World Bank policies in the 1970s encouraged the Indonesian government to expand palm among small farmers. This is a true story. “Public opinion, brand equity and marketing all came together to move away from animal-based products in more fashion-oriented industries like personal care.” Companies across Europe and the US that Croda supplied started to make the switch. Today, 70% of personal care items contain one or more palm oil derivatives. No single innovation caused palm oil consumption to soar. But it took six weeks for the raw material to be shipped from Malaysia to Europe, and Van Duijn had three months to make the switch. The notions of natural and chemical, a confusion of genres! Most shampoo bars also incorporate castor oil because it helps increase lather. 1. Palm oil is a vegetable oil used in cosmetics for its moisturising and texturising properties. In 1994, a Unilever refineries manager named Gerrit van Duijn received a call from his bosses in Rotterdam.