We have always chosen not to use palm oil in our products. We have also investigated the origins of our ingredients to ensure that our products are free from palm oil derivatives.
What is Palm Oil?
Palm oil is a vegetable oil derived from the fruit of oil palm trees. It is widely used because it is versatile, stable and efficient to produce.
Palm oil is found in a wide range of food, personal-care and cosmetic products. Many palm oil derivatives have ingredient names that do not make their palm origin obvious to consumers.
Palm oil production quadrupled between 1995 and 2015, with wide-ranging implications for our planet.
Why is palm oil considered a problem?
Why is palm oil considered a problem?
Supplying the demand has taken a huge toll.
The environmental impact of palm oil production depends on how and where it is produced.
Expansion of oil palm plantations can contribute to deforestation, habitat loss and biodiversity loss, particularly where forests or other high-value ecosystems are cleared for cultivation. Palm oil production and land-use change can also contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions.
Orangutans and other wildlife can be affected when their forest habitat is lost or fragmented. Palm oil is one of several agricultural and land-use pressures affecting forests and wildlife in regions such as Borneo and Sumatra.
Palm oil can be produced more sustainably, but we have chosen to avoid palm oil and palm oil derivatives in our products.
Sources: [1] [2]
Our Palm Oil Free commitment
We have investigated the origin of the ingredients we use to ensure that our products are not only palm oil free, but palm oil derivative free too.
Our palm oil-free status is independently certified through the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark (POFCAP).
POFCAP assesses products and companies to determine whether they are free from palm oil and palm oil derivatives. Its certification process considers the origins of ingredients because many palm oil derivatives cannot be identified simply from an ingredient name.
Look out for the POFCAP certification trademark on our packaging.
Source: [3]
What can be done?
What can be done?
The crop is here to stay and producing countries depend on the income.
Boycotting palm oil on a global scale is undoubtedly unrealistic. The only way forward is to make its production less harmful. But to do this we must make the debate louder and universal. We all consume it so we must all participate.
This is why we have always been palm oil free and support the work of the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark Programme (POFCAP).
BetterYou investigates the origin of every ingredient we use ensuring that it has never been exposed to palm oil or palm oil derivatives at any point in its life.
A number of organisations now work hard to monitor and control the operations of palm oil companies and also to ensure a growing use of sustainable palm oil that is fully traceable. Whilst a step forward, we believe this alone is not enough.
Many governments globally are yet to be considered ‘on board’ to stand for change, or don’t have the capacity to influence for good, which will be an essential driver in a more sustainable future for the palm oil industry.
Until any meaningful change is seen, we have decided to make a stand.
We would like to thank Hillary Rosner for her amazing work published within National Geographic magazine.
[1] National Geographic – Palm oil is unavoidable. Can it be sustainable? Background on palm oil's widespread use, production, deforestation and impacts on forests and wildlife.
[2] WWF – Endangered species threatened by unsustainable palm oil production. Information on the relationship between unsustainable palm oil production, forest loss and threats to wildlife, including orangutans.
[3] International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark (POFCAP) Information on POFCAP's certification process and its assessment of products and companies for palm oil and palm oil derivative content.
