Welcome to all our new subscribers

Many signed our petition to ask manufacturers and retailers to seek a sustainable source of palm oil, and also requested our email newsletter. Thank you for showing an interest in GreenPalm and giving us the chance to explain how it works.

Many campaigners call for a boycott of palm oil. Even if it were possible to stop the entire palm oil industry, a replacement oil would need to be found. Other oil crops yield far less product and much more slowly than oil palm does, so more land would be needed – with further impact on indigenous populations and rainforests.

A viable solution is to work with what we have. Give producers the support they need to work ethically. Becoming audited and certified by the RSPO takes time and money, so it is right that companies buying palm oil pay a premium to the producers making this effort. Similarly, if a smallholder sells palm oil only locally and never exports it, becoming certified sustainable is a tall order with no additional income or commercial recognition.

That is the point of GreenPalm. It makes sustainability affordable for the smallholder – as well as the large plantations and mills – because each certificate funds sustainable production at the source, regardless of the size of the operation or where the oil is consumed. Waiting for a fully segregated supply of sustainable oil risks delaying action – and walks away from a problem that will simply continue.

As ever, if you would like further explanation or clarification of any aspect of GreenPalm and how it works, please email me at bob.norman@greenpalm.org or pick up the phone and call me on +44 (0) 1482 332013

Eating out and sustainability

Now you can support sustainable palm oil production when you eat out at food outlets that use the Prep High Performance cooking oils.

That’s because AAK has bought GreenPalm certificates to cover the entire Prep range of versatile cooking oils, which are widely used in the foodservice industry. This is a natural step up from AAK’s GreenPalm support for the Prep Palm product, and now covers the full range of palm oil and its derivatives marketed under the Prep brand in both the UK and Europe.

Look out for the GreenPalm posters in your local hot food takeaways or eateries – and if you can’t see one, why not ask the staff if they use Prep? If they do, it’s in their interests to tell customers about it, so people can choose to support sustainable palm oil production simply by treating themselves to a meal or a takeaway!

 

See us at the Baking Industry Exhibition

The GreenPalm team will be at the Baking Industry Exhibition from 21st to 24th March at the NEC, Birmingham. We’ll be at Stand N308, explaining the GreenPalm concept, how it’s working, and how we can help businesses to support sustainable and ethical sourcing using the system. If you happen to be there, come and say hello!

Until next time,

Best wishes
Bob Norman

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