Ah, the holidays! So much dashing about, so much shopping to do. What to get that sweet neighbour who looked after the cat while you were away? Fancy bath soaps are always a safe bet. Oh, and you can’t show up empty-handed to a seasonal celebration. A scented candle or a tin of gourmet cookies, perhaps? At the makeup counter, a fetching shade of vermillion lipstick beckons. What are the holidays for, if not a little glamour?
The year-end frenzy isn’t just exhausting. It can have serious consequences for the planet. Why? All of these popular gifts – soap, candles, commercially baked cookies and cosmetics, as well as popular holiday sweets – contain palm oil. And although the devastating environmental impacts of this ubiquitous, cheap and versatile oil are well known, oil palm plantations continue to expand throughout south-east Asia, Latin America and Africa.
What’s a mindful consumer to do when about 50% of consumer goods contain palm oil? It’s an ingredient that has contributed to global deforestation, generated massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, displaced indigenous people throughout south-east Asia, Latin America and Africa and endangered orangutans, jaguars, tigers and other animals?
Start by educating yourself. Look for products that use responsibly produced palm oil – harvested without causing rainforest destruction – certified by a respected, independent organisation. It may take some sleuthing, since palm oil has many aliases. It’s also known as vegetable oil, glycerin, sodium lauryl sulfate and stearic acid – to name just a few. While many major companies have made commitments to source sustainable palm oil, the industry as a whole will respond more quickly if consumers demand similar action.
Transforming the palm oil industry is central to the Rainforest Alliance’s mission of stopping deforestation. In addition to supporting the efforts of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, the Rainforest Alliance uses the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s rigorous, complementary certification system. Products that contain palm oil produced to these exacting criteria bear the Rainforest Alliance seal.
Beyond making careful shopping choices, it’s important to let companies know you care so that responsibly sourced palm becomes the new normal. What better feeling is there than knowing that purchasing decisions are doing right by your sisters and brothers around the globe, and by the Earth that sustains us all? Now that is cause for holiday celebration.
Content on this page is provided by the Rainforest Alliance, a sponsor of the Vital Signs platform.
