#21

Choose sustainable palm oil

Tropical rainforests and peatlands are being torn down and converted into palm oil plantations to meet a growing global demand.

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Brewing instructions:

  • Step 1

    Find out where you're using palm oil

    Palm oil has become so prevalent it's in everything from shampoo to cereals.

    Take a moment to look through the products you've bought recently to see if any of them contain palm oil.

    Next time you're shopping, look at the ingredients before you buy.

  • Step 2

    Check if it's sustainable

    Some manufacturers list on the product if the palm oil they use is sustainable or not.

    Luckily, there's an app to double check: Giki allows you to scan the barcode of a product to see if the palm oil used is sustainable, along with information on the product's parent company.

  • Step 3

    Refuse unsustainable palm oil

    If you can't verify that a product is using sustainable palm oil: don't buy it.

    Bonus: Reducing your overall palm oil usage will help with overall sustainability.

Why is this important?

According to Greenpeace: "An area the size of a football pitch is torn down in Indonesia’s rainforest every 25 seconds, with palm oil driving the destruction."

This deforestation results in the loss of vital habitats and biodiversity, Orangutan numbers alone are dropping at a rate of 25 per day.

The rainforests and peatlands also store an incredible amount of carbon which is released when the land is repurposed. We need these vital carbon sinks now more than ever, the planet cannot afford to lose them.

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