An edible vegetable oil
From the fruit of oil palm trees
The most widely used vegetable oil
Oil palm trees produce a lot of palm oil. If
you planted the same area of land with oil
palm trees, coconut trees and maize, you
would get twice as much palm oil as
coconut oil and 30 times as much palm
oil as maize oil!
In the rush to produce more and more
palm oil, rainforests have been destroyed
to plant oil palm trees.
This is a particular problem in Sumatra
and Borneo, the orangutans’ home, where
around 85% of the world’s palm oil is now
produced
• Speak clearly and confidently
your point, provide evidence,
• Make
then explain further
eye contact with people
• Maintain
around the room
• Use hand gestures to illustrate
your argument
believe a third of all animal
• Scientists
and plant species on Earth face a high
palm oil is really useful and has the
• But
highest yield per hectare of any edible
risk of extinction within this century.
oil. This means it has the potential to
be environmentally friendly.
have to fight back. We need to
• We
conserve biodiversity worldwide.
the rainforest in Borneo
• Destroying
and Sumatra to make space for oil
palm plantations is one of the biggest
threats facing wildlife, including
orangutans. In the last 30 years
more than 80% of their forest
home has been destroyed.
need to start growing palm oil
• We
sustainably, selling it in supermarkets
and raising awareness among
consumers so they can make informed
choices about what they buy.
is having a terrible
• Deforestation
impact on orangutans. Without their
natural treetop habitat, orangutans
cannot survive. Adult orangutans are
often killed during forest clearance and
their babies are captured and sold on
as pets.
of the main reasons for clearing
• One
forest is to create space for oil palm
is wrong for this to be done at the
• Itexpense
of precious species like the
orangutan!
to clear space for oil
• Deforestation
palm plantations must stop.
in other countries need to
• People
start to understand the impact of
plantations and meet the demand for
their actions when they choose to
buy products containing palm oil
cheap palm oil.
produced in Borneo and Sumatra.
• People need palm oil!
oil production is key for our local
• Palm
economy and taking it away would be
disastrous for local families – how
would we earn money to put food
on the table?
palm trees are an efficient use of
• Oil
land – they produce more oil per
hectare than other sources, e.g.
sunflowers or coconut trees.
oil is useful – it’s used in
• Palm
everything from cake, chocolate,
margarine and frying fats to cosmetics,
soap and cleaning products.
to 50% of products in UK
• Up
supermarkets now contain palm
oil! If this all has to be produced
sustainably, prices are going to
rocket and consumers won’t be
able to afford basic goods.
• Producing palm oil cheaply is more
important than protecting orangutans.
oil is an incredibly useful product!
• Palm
It’s in 50% of products we stock –
everything from cake, chocolate,
margarine and frying fats to cosmetics,
soap and cleaning products.
supermarkets are only allowed to sell
• Ifproducts
containing palm oil produced
sustainably, there’s going to be a
negative impact on consumers as
costs are bound to increase.
could be given the choice.
• Consumers
They could be made aware of the
issue and offered the alternative of
sustainable palm oil products –
many of own brand goods contain
sustainable palm oil which work out
cheaper than branded goods with
unsustainable palm oil.
not our problem! We just stock the
• It’s
products that manufacturers produce
and try to keep our customers happy.