Palm oil is probably the most demonised commodity on the planet.
Deforestation, child labour, forest fires, climate change—the world’s most consumed edible oil is blamed for all manner of environmental and social problems.
In this podcast, Eco-Business is joined by two industry experts to discuss five myths about the palm oil trade, and how true they are.
Anita Neville is vice president of corporate communications and sustainability relations at palm oil company Golden Agri-Resources (GAR). Over a career spent in environmental communications and advocacy, Neville started out at green group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), where she was head of advocacy in the United Kingdom. She joined GAR from sustainable forestry non-profit Rainforest Alliance in 2016.
Also joining the podcast is Cynthia Morel, senior sustainability strategist for Forum for the Future, who joined the non-profit a year ago from Unicef. She is currently working on a project with five palm oil growers to ensure fair labour across their supply chains.
Tune in as we discuss five so-called myths about palm oil, which are:
- It is unhealthy.
- It causes deforestation.
- Palm oil companies use child labour and exploit workers.
- Certification is failing.
- The trade will be dead in 25 years.
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