The overlooked impact of unsustainable management of palm oil plantations on water quality combined with El Niño-associated drought could lead to a ‘perfect storm’, warn United States researchers. ignificant erosion of freshwater quality has been added to the list of risks associated with palm oil cultivation, according to a recent study conducted by United States scientists,
The move may make Norway the world’s first country to ban government purchasing of palm oil biofuel. The resolution further stipulates that the regulatory amendment shall enter into force as soon as possible. The Norwegian parliament voted on 13 June to ban the public procurement and use of palm oil-based biofuel – possibly becoming the first
Mounting attention on women’s rights violations in the palm oil industry have pushed women workers out of the shadows, forcing companies to step up and improve the welfare of their female workforce. In Indonesia, where close to 6 million people work in the palm oil industry, women toil alongside men in remote plantations across the country. However, female
Big brands Nestlé and PepsiCo have decided to stop sourcing palm oil from IndoFood Group in light of longstanding allegations of labour and environmental violations. Global confectionary brands have announced that they are cutting ties with Indofood, Indonesia’s largest food and palm oil production company. Nestlé and PepsiCo, both long time business partners of Indofood, have
Small growers have been left behind in the push for sustainable palm oil, industry experts say. When palm oil farmer Isnin Kasno eventually retires, his three children will turn their backs on the family’s small plantation in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor. Like many ageing oil palm growers in Southeast Asia, the 58-year-old struggles to make
Golden Agri-Resources has come a long way since allegations of deforestation ravaged the Singapore-listed firm’s image. Now it figures in the world’s most scrupulous sustainability index—good news for the company and a vilified sector. Singapore-headquartered palm oil company Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has been featured in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the first time. GAR—the world’s second largest
As the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil continues its work of making sustainable palm oil the global norm, its chief executive officer Darrel Webber talks to Eco-Business about the trends that will shape the organisation’s work this year. Darrel Webber, chief executive officer of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), heads the industry association’s global
Mounting attention on women’s rights violations in the palm oil industry have pushed women workers out of the shadows, forcing companies to step up and improve the welfare of their female workforce. In Indonesia, where close to 6 million people work in the palm oil industry, women toil alongside men in remote plantations across the country. However,
Crude palm oil (CPO) and palm meal (PE) can be obtained from palm pulp by boiling, crushing and extracting. At the same time, during the crushing process, the palm fruit (i.e., palm kernel) is separated, and then crushed and removed from the shell. The remaining kernels are extracted to obtain the crude palm kernel oil (CPKO)
The palm oil sector was widely blamed for the haze that plagued Southeast Asia earlier this year. Agus Purnomo, managing director for sustainability and stakeholder engagement, Golden Agri-Resources, outlines what the industry giant is doing to produce the crop more sustainably. Palm oil is widely recognised as one of the world’s most important crops. We produce