This topic comes and goes as if it were a marketing fad... fortunately, there is sustainable palm available
Should we Boycott Palm Oil by Amanda Foxon-Hill - Oct 27, 2010
http://www.specialchem4cosmetics.com/se ... =100060067
The topic of conversation around many a cosmetic manufacturer's water cooler is the issue of Palm Oil. The once green and natural solution for chemists wanting to avoid petroleum derived ingredients is starting to look a little less shiny. Rain forests are shrinking, diversity is being threatened and more of us are starting to question the wisdom of the green revolution. So what is the issue and what does the ethical chemist do next?
Palm oil originates from the seeds of the Elaesis Guineensis (oil palm) tree, a crop that is native to West Africa but has since been cultivated across much of South East Asia and South America. The global growth in palm oil farming is no coincidence as the crop is hardy, fast growing and offers a high yield of nutritionally rich oil.
The first press of the palm yields oil that is deep red in colour due to the high concentration of carotene, lycopene and vitamins. This is used across Asia and Africa for cooking where it provides the surrounding regions with their main source of calories. Little of this crude oil is sold outside of these markets as the deep colour is hard to work around and so it goes on for further processing.
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Should We Boycott Palm Oil?"
The secondary refined process includes splitting out the vitamin E (tocopherol) which is sold separately and then fractionating (or splitting) the oily part into its many different fatty acids and Stearin - a natural triglyceride ester that is used in the manufacture of soap or further processed into the common cosmetic ingredient, glycerine. One of the reasons that palm oil has become such a main-stay of the 'natural' chemical industry is the fact that it provides such a wealth of ingredients withinasingle oil. So, in addition to palm oil the plant also provides starting materials for many other cosmetic basics including:
Looking at the above list really highlights the complexity of the 'let's boycott palm' issue and while it is true that not all of the above come from palm all of the time it is becoming more that way as brands move away from Petroleum derived chemicals in favour of 'green chemistry'. Today, the majority of the above materials are sourced from two main feed stocks, petroleum or plant. Of the plant derived the most common (but not the only) feedstock is Palm and chemically speaking, that is quite a smart move.
An estimated 150 million tonnes of Palm is produced each year and this figure is growing due to increased global demand for consumer goods and 'greener' technologies. Of that 150 million tonnes around 30 million goes on to make surfactants for a wide range of industries (that 30 million tonnes represents one quarter of the total feedstock used by the surfactants industry. Another quarter comes from other vegetable sources and half is petroleum derived). That ratio that is likely to tip further towards the green corner if the 'natural is better' market segment, keeps growing.
With the cosmetics industry likely to move further into the green corner we are faced with a few big issues of which the main one is sustainability. To find out how sustainable palm oil is we need to evaluate its efficiency as a cash crop. Time to review the oil return per hectare planted, natural limits to growth, education and land management.
Palm is not the only crop used in the chemical industry. In fact, the largest contributor to the oil pile is soyabean oil and the USA currently heads up the top producer chart (followed by Brazil and Argentina). Next is Palm and then we having Canola oil followed by Sunflower. Of all of these oils Palm with an average yield of 4 metric tonnes of oil per hectare is by far the best performer when it comes to yield and diversity of oil chemistry (by comparison, Soy gives an average yield of 1.4MT per hectare and canola between 1.5 - 2MT per hectare).
You could be forgiven for thinking that we have learned nothing about managing natural resources over the last fourty years. One look through the Club of Rome 1972 book, Limits to Growth, spells out the hard facts:
Growing population + One planet + Finite resources + Improved lifestyle = Crunch time.
The palm oil issue is a great example of how we can only have our cake and eat it if we are willing to accept the consequences. The palm oil issue has given formulators and brand owners the chance to feel the effects of land - change on a grand scale. Both the Indonesian and Malaysian governments have laws in place to insure that virgin forest is protected and not sacrificed for farming and this is comforting. However, these laws have proved difficult to enforce due to logistical and legal hurdles spanning different countries, cultures and motives. If palm oil is to become truly sustainable it will require a global solution - something that the round table on Palm oil sustainability is striving for.
So how can we help to turn the palm oil problem into a green solution? The concern surrounding the growth in palm oil plantations has not fallen on deaf ears and many of the biggest oil users including Unilever, NestleHaribo and Europastry have joined the Malaysian Government by establishing the round table for sustainable palm oil plantations. With over 400 members spanning all industry segments and geographies it looks likely that a global solution will be achieved.
The round table has been certifying 'sustainable' palm oil for a while now but prices remain high and traceability difficult. Palm crops are consolidated at wholesale merchants making it hard to separate out one farmers crop from another. However, as the demand for documentation grows so does the understanding of the marketplace and little by little, step by step progress is being made. It may take several years before many of the bi-products from palm oil distillation can be certified in marketable quantities with any confidence.
Many brands are opting out of palm as a feedstock and making marketing claims about being 'palm free'. While this action may make the companies involved and the public feel good the environmental reality is less positive. The coconut, a common palm replacement yields only half the oil of palm meaning that we will need double the land in the long run!
On a personal level we can all help to heighten the awareness of the benefits of using this oil over many other vegetable oils due to its higher yield and flexibility. We can also help by supporting the actions of the round table by paying that little bit extra at the counter for certified oil. However, it is with our formulating and our own consumption where we can have the greatest impact. Palm is a great case study in limits to growth and as such it provides us with the perfect opportunity to reflect on the efficiency of our formulations and the necessity of the products that we make.
Unless we start to place more value on our natural resources, the palm oil issue is likely to repeat time and time again as the world population continues to rise along with life style aspirations. We should be prepared not only to buy smart but to formulate smart, sell smart and think smart. Using less stuff may be the answer....
So, as we put on the lab coat and get ready to stir another pot of hope in a bottle let's take a moment to reflect on the big issue, evaluate our formulation objectives and take a stand against all of those people who want us to boycott palm in favour of something more ambiguous and less emotive.
So I thank you all for your input.
