The study, conducted by researchers from Germany’s Göttingen University and funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a public research organization supported by federal and state governments in Germany, examines consumer attitudes towards palm oil and its actual sustainability.
Palm oil has a significant negative impact on the environment, accounting for 37% of biodiversity loss among key oil crops despite occupying only 10% of cropland. However, the study suggests that producing palm oil on degraded grasslands with low indirect land use change potential can satisfy market demand without the severe environmental damage typically associated with the palm oil industry.
While rapeseed and sunflower oil have lower biodiversity loss rates (9% and 4% respectively), their yield is substantially lower than that of palm oil. In fact, producing an equivalent yield of soybean oil, the second-highest yielding vegetable oil, would require six times more land. On the other hand, coconut oil, though rarely produced, poses a greater threat to species compared to palm oil.
Despite the complexity of palm oil’s sustainability, the general public tends to have a negative and simplified view of the commodity due to a lack of understanding about its various cultivation methods. In reality, certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) is encouraged and approved by reputable organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. However, consumer awareness of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the primary certification body, is limited due to the infrequent use of its logo on products.
A survey of 1220 respondents revealed that German consumers still associate palm oil with environmental destruction, poor working conditions, social displacement, and unhealthiness. Despite receiving additional information on palm oil, consumers’ perception of its sustainability and trust in the RSPO logo were not significantly affected. Furthermore, even after learning about the sustainability of other oils in comparison to palm oil, people remained opposed to the idea that palm oil could be a better option in certain contexts.
The study suggests that high-profile campaigns against palm oil have influenced consumer perceptions, despite the fact that many producers use RSPO-certified palm oil and are committed to zero deforestation. Additionally, consumers often mistakenly believe that Brazil is a major producer of palm oil, likely due to its association with soybean production and past deforestation issues. The study concludes that information alone is not sufficient to change entrenched consumer beliefs.
The food and beverage industry trends, food manufacturing trends, food processing technology, food distribution trends, food and drink industry innovation, food and drink sustainability, food and drink regulations, food and drink packaging, food and drink marketing, and food and drink consumer trends are important factors in understanding the complexities of sustainable palm oil production and consumption.
Overall, it is crucial for companies, the media, and interested organizations to educate consumers about the multifaceted challenges of the palm oil industry. Boycotting palm oil will not solve these challenges but instead negatively impact the livelihoods of millions of people in palm oil-producing countries, while also increasing land use for other vegetable oil crops several times over.
Source: Sustainable Production and Consumption, ‘Can consumers understand that there is more to palm oil than deforestation?’, July 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2023.05.037, Authors: S. Lieke, A. Spiller, G. Busch.
