Category: Sustainable Palm Oil
On the guest list were a range of businesses from the city, including restaurants, cafes, hotels, visitor attractions and workplaces. The initiative, led by Chester Zoo alongside key partners in Chester and around the UK, is all about collaboration!
Research carried out by our conservation colleague Prof Serge Wich and other incredible scientists, revealed that 100,000 orangutans have been killed in Borneo since 1999 – with hunting and deforestation the main reasons for this devastating revelation.
We have been working closely with HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project, an organisation located in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, for over a decade now to make a difference and helpprotect orangutans. The critically endangered Bornean orangutan is one of only two great ape species found in Asia – the other being the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan.
Orangutans are among the many species being pushed to the brink of extinction by oil palm plantations, which are wiping out huge areas of rainforest.
There is intense demand for the oil, which features in thousands of household products in the UK from food to cleaning materials and cosmetics.
Conservationists are battling to promote sustainable palm oil production to protect the rainforests and the wide range of species that live there. Last month, an alliance of NGOs and industry associations (including the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums) in the UK signed the Amsterdam Commitment to support 100% sustainable palm oil in Europe by 2020.
Now, the city of Chester, led by Chester Zoo, is leading the efforts to achieve this as it bids to become the world’s first ‘Sustainable Palm Oil City’.
Chester-based restaurant Chez Jules is the first to commit to the project and has already adopted a palm oil policy and audited its supply chain.
The restaurant, in collaboration with our experts, will host an event on 21 September to help other local businesses and restaurants join the fight.
Conservationists are hoping that a range of businesses in the city will join the initiative – from restaurants, cafes, hotels and fast food outlets to workplaces that offer staff catering services; schools and education providers; council and hospitals food outlets; other visitor attractions; manufacturers and retailers.
Cat Barton, Field Conservation Manager, said:
Animals such as the magnificent orangutan are under threat and on the brink of being lost forever – as unsustainable oil palm plantations are wiping out rainforests to produce to produce convenience food and household items.
Right now, the city of Chester and our partners are taking a huge step forward towards increasing the demand for sustainable palm oil. We couldn’t be prouder.
Thank you to Chez Jules restaurant for becoming the first in the UK to commit to the project; they have really helped us kick start this process and we welcome the interest from dozens of other businesses.
The Chester Sustainable Palm Oil City campaign, led by Chester Zoo, partners with Chez Jules, the Orangutan Land Trust and the Sumatran Orangutan Society, is endorsed by key conservation organisations and supported by a host of industry advisors.
Restaurants and businesses in Chester who would like to find out more at the launch event at Chez Jules on 21 September at 11am can email conservation@chesterzoo.org
The question we are most often asked when we talk about sustainable palm oil is: what does a sustainable oil palm plantation look like? There is no single definition of sustainable palm oil. 85% of palm oil is grown in Indonesia and Malaysia, and both countries have mandatory national standards for growing oil palm. Voluntary standards are also in place to improve standards of sustainable palm oil; these schemes vary in their aims and criteria which makes understanding sustainable palm oil a bit of a headache!