Today we're talking palm oil...

The viral banned (too political apparently!) Iceland advert of Christmas 2018 highlighting the impact of palm oil on rainforests and the wildlife that live there really thrust palm oil into the spotlight, and I think we’re all aware now of the issue, but knowing what’s the best thing to do is another kettle of fish entirely. Should we be trying to avoid it?
Or look for sustainably sourced palm oil? Or is there no such thing?
Can we trust the certifications?
It’s a minefield and one that quite often makes me want to hide under the duvet with a bar of palm oil free chocolate although I would just worry that that wasn’t the right type of chocolate to choose.

Luckily today I got a belter of an episode, with Cat Barton and Faye Sherlock from Chester Zoo. Naively it never really occurred to me that zoos would have people working at them other than the staff on the ground at the zoo, so it was fab to hear about Cat’s role as a Field Conservation Manager working with communities in Sumatra and Borneo around palm oil, and Faye's job at  the Sustainable Cities Project Officer.
It’s safe to say that they’re both pretty clued up about the impact of palm oil on rainforest regions, and then importantly, what we can do as individuals and communities at home to help.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one.
Has it changed your mind about how you approach palm oil?
Are you inspired to look into becoming a sustainable community, workplace or school?
Let me know in the comments!

Enjoy!

• Chester Zoo
  - Palm Oil info page
  - Sustainable palm oil communities
  - Sustainable palm oil shopping list
  - Wildlife Connections campaign
• RSPO certification scheme
• Ethical Consumer - palm oil labelling
• Ethical Consumer - info on RSPO certification
• Giki badges - app that allows you to scan barcodes on products to see what ethical criteria they meet
• The Sustainable(ish) FB group
• The Knackered Mums Eco Club

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The Sunday Times