Category: Sustainable Palm Oil
The conservation organisations listed below are committed to driving the palm oil industry in the right direction, and support a move to sustainable palm oil and not a blanket boycott.
2019 has seen the engulfing of the world’s forests as a warming planet continues to choke under smoke and flames. Despite the trials, heroes continue the fight.
Since 2017 we’ve been working with Ignite TSA to inspire schools to put conservation at the heart of their curriculum, empowering pupils and teachers to act for wildlife.
Rob McKay, Managing Director of Sherrington Associates in Chester, is trailblazing an incredible fundraiser for our conservation work in Borneo. We caught up with him to find out more…
For many years our conservationists have been working behind the scenes with key partners to help drive up standards of sustainable palm oil.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has just announced its new, improved standards which deliver deforestation free palm oil.
This marks a significant step forwards, fighting back against the habitat destruction that is pushing wildlife towards extinction.
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of oil palm trees. Up to 50% of products in an average UK supermarket now contain it.
If we were to stop using palm oil, we would need to find an alternative to supply the global demand for edible vegetable oils. Because other oil crops – such as coconuts, olives, sunflowers and maize – are less productive per square kilometre, even more land would need to be converted to agriculture – causing even greater environmental damage.
The solution is to demand sustainable, deforestation free palm oil. Write to your MP, retailers and manufacturers. Look for the RSPO label on packaging. Choose sustainable. It’s time to Act For Wildlife.
Note: The RSPO’s no deforestation standards are following the High Carbon Stock Approach. Full details off the RSPO’s updated standards can be found on their website here: https://www.rspo.org/ga/ga15/Resolutions/RSPO_P&C_2018.pdf
How Chester Zoo is fighting for orangutans
Chester Zoo cares for two groups of critically endangered orangutans as part of a crucial conservation breeding programme for the species; our conservationists are working with field partners in Borneo, utilising the zoo’s skills and resources to help protect rainforest habitats for orangutans in the wild; we are campaigning here in the UK to increase awareness and demand for sustainable palm oil among consumers; we are working behind the scenes to continue to drive up standards in the sustainable palm oil industry; and we are working with businesses to make Chester the world’s first Sustainable Palm Oil City.
In the wake of our decision to remove all Nestlé products from sale, we have met with senior representatives from Nestlé to discuss how we can best prevent extinction. Since the announcement – and since the actions from ourselves and other members of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums – we have been overwhelmed by the public response and support for sustainable palm oil.
We are pleased to say that, as Nestlé has made a renewed commitment to achieving 100 percent RSPO certified sustainable palm oil and has now been fully reinstated as a member of the RSPO, their products are available in the zoo again, effective immediately. Thank you for your support and understanding during the period where items were off sale.
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of oil palm trees. It is the world’s most widely used vegetable oil and global consumption is rising.
Unsustainable oil palm plantations are destroying rainforest homes in South East Asia and pushing wildlife such as orangutans to the brink of extinction.
Yet if produced sustainably, palm oil is a highly efficient crop and has the potential to be by far the most responsible vegetable oil option.
A new report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has identified sustainable palm oil as the most viable solution to the environmental crisis if further palm oil related deforestation is avoided.
The RSPO is backed not only by Chester Zoo, but also a range of conservation organisations such as WWF UK, The Orangutan Land Trust, The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and more.
We can all make a difference on this issue. If you would like to lend your support and ask Nestlé to urgently re-join the RSPO, you can contact them directly here.
It is the first major gathering ever held at the Houses of Parliament to unite wide ranging experts on the issue – from across the food industry, the conservation community and British politics.
Conservationists from Chester Zoo – organising the event – will discuss the damage to rainforests caused by unsustainable palm oil production and the benefits that sustainable production can bring.
The event on 13 June – created by the zoo in association with partners EFECA, experts in sustainable forest and agriculture advice – is hosted by City of Chester MP Chris Matheson and supported by the WWF-UK, The Orangutan Land Trust, The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).Backed by key players in the sustainable palm oil industry who will share insight into sustainable production methods and availability of sustainable palm oil, the talks will also highlight collaborative efforts across the sustainable palm oil industry and bring together environmental NGO’s, the RSPO, food service providers, animal feed providers and leading UK retailers.Palm oil is a widely used ingredient in UK food and household items. Unsustainable production is destroying rainforests in South East Asia, home to species such as critically endangered Bornean and Sumatran orangutans.
As public awareness of the problem has grown, so too have calls to boycott palm oil entirely from supply chains. Yet if produced sustainably, palm oil is a highly efficient crop. Switching to other oils can cause even greater environmental damage. The UK Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, unveiled this year, backed the sustainable palm oil solution.
Cat Barton, Field Programmes Manager at Chester Zoo, said:
Unsustainable palm oil is causing terrible damage to the rainforest homes of orangutans and many other species. But to boycott palm oil and increase the demand for other, less efficient oils, could have a negative impact on wildlife in other areas of the world.Oil palms are highly productive and the yield per square kilometre is higher than for any other edible oil. Growing oil palms is the most efficient use of land, producing more yield per hectare than oils such as rapeseed and coconut. This means that palm oil has the potential to be very environmentally friendly if it is grown sustainably.Bringing together key players from across the food industry and conservation community is vital if we are to work together to solve this crisis and be part of the solution. Action is critical and urgent. There is no more relevant place to tackle this issue than the home of British politics – the Houses of Parliament – supported primarily by our own City of Chester MP Chris Matheson.
Chester Zoo, supported by Chris Matheson MP and a host of partners, are behind a pioneering campaign to make Chester the UK’s first Sustainable Palm Oil City. The scheme will be unveiled to a national audience of experts for the first time at the 13 June Westminster convention.
Mr Matheson added:
I will always champion Chester and the people here. When the zoo told me about this idea, I knew it would be another opportunity for our city to shine. This project is not just about Chester though, it is about the planet and that’s why I will do everything I can to support the zoo to lead the world and change it for the better.
The Westminster event is supported by EPOA, AAK and New Britain Oils.
It is the first major gathering ever held at the Houses of Parliament to unite wide ranging experts on the issue – from across the food industry, the conservation community and British politics. Conservationists from Chester Zoo – organising the event – will discuss the damage to rainforests caused by unsustainable palm oil production and the benefits that sustainable production can bring.