Read this before your next candy purchase! Palm oil is an ingredient found in many candies. What’s the cause for concern—so what? As popular as the ingredient is, it has a dark history of environmental destruction that consumers tend to ignore or are unaware about. As Cheyenne Mountain Zoo explains, “Instead of using already cleared land, some companies choose to cut down healthy rainforest. They gain added profits from the timber, and they can ignore the regulations that sustainable plantations abide by.” Read more on how palm oil production threatens the rainforests and the animals that live there—one of the most notable animals being the orangutan.

Although we know what the palm oil industry is doing is bad news, what options do we have? Really, these aren’t options—people and businesses should be doing something about palm oil production not as an option, but as a necessity.

Choice #1 (Our Pick): “Protect wild orangutans. Find responsible, sustainable conservation choices to support wildlife and wild places. Discover complex issues about palm oil and orangutans, from endangered species to reforestation, biodiversity and biofuel.”

Resources like the orangutan Halloween candy guide 2019 are very helpful in this regard!

Although we agree with the above tactic, it is worth acknowledging another approach to this topic. Some believe sustainable palm oil is a cover-up, no better than regular palm oil production—and as such these groups believe in:

Choice #2: 100% abstain from palm oil production, finding more sustainable alternatives.

In the on-going debate, we believe that abstaining from palm oil products makes it worse in the affected areas and hinders the sustainability efforts of those groups. See Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s guide on “Why not Boycott?” below:

1. ” Oil palms are the most productive type of all the edible oil crops. Oil palms produce 4-10 times more oil per acre than other crops like soy or canola. In this way, palm oil can be a more environmentally friendly oil, because less land is needed to produce the same amount of oil.
2.  Indonesia and Malaysia are countries that struggle with poverty and palm oil is a huge part of the economy.  Without it, millions of additional people would be unemployed.
3. There will always be a demand for edible oil, and demand is growing due to worldwide population growth.  Palm oil is in many of the items we eat and use every day. If we boycott palm oil, another crop will take its place.
4. If grown the right way – sustainably – palm oil can be the best choice for vegetable oil.
5. It does not seem effective or realistic to boycott. Palm oil and its derivatives have more than 50 different names on product labels (see Palm Oil Names & Derivitives on their site). This makes it difficult for consumers to know if products contain palm oil.
6. Discover Why Palm Oil Isn’t the Enemy.”

Whether you seek out Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified, sustainable palm oil products, or choose brands that use sustainable alternatives—there is power in doing something. Thank you for reading this brief introduction to an important topic, and thank you to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for their resources.

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