Global Palm Oil Trade: Growing Demand, Growing Impact - Essay Sample

Introduction

Palm oil and palm kernel, according to Vijay, Pimm, Jenkins, and Smith (2016), are the most traded vegetable oil globally. The two products are extracted from the fruits of the palm trees or oil palm. A significant proportion of the world's palm plantations are in areas that were once tropical moist forests (Vijay et al., 2016). Notably, palm trees are among the most productive vegetable oil crops per unit area (Ashton-Butt et al., 2018). Research shows that the demand for palm oil will increase substantially, owing to its nutritional value (Vijay et al., 2016). This crop is crucial for economies Malaysia and Indonesia, which have a large palm plantation. It is estimated that about 85% of the palm oil produced globally is used in food applications (May & Nesaretnam, 2014). Indeed, palm oil has been used in food preparation for more than 5,000 years (Mukherjee & Mitra, 2009). According to May and Nesaretnam (2014), the annual world production of palm oil is in excess of 50 million tones. The nutritional adequacy of palm oil and its derivatives is the main factor driving its large-scale production. Palm oil also has a wide range of applications, from cleaning to baby care and beauty products.

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How Intensive Production of Palm Oil Impacts the Environment

High demand for palm oil in the global market has led to a massive expansion of agricultural land used to cultivate it. Large tracts of carbon-rich and tropic-rich tropical forests, in particular, have been destroyed because oil palms mostly grow in humid tropics (Vijay et al., 2016). Research shows that an average of 270,000 hectares of forests was converted into a plantation of oil palms annually from 2000 to 20111 in the leading palm oil-exporting nations (Vijay et al., 2016). Also, there is evidence that about 50% of Malaysian and Indonesian palm plantations in 2005 were once tropical forests in the 1990s (Vijay et al., 2016). This massive deforestation raises environmental concerns as it threatens endangered wildlife species like Orangutan and Sumatran tigers.

Palm Oil in Hair Shampoos and Ethical Beauty Companies

Most cosmetics products in the market, including shampoo, contain the ingredients of palm oil. Often, manufacturers of beauty and baby care products add more than one derivative of palm oil into their shampoo products (Fernanda & Dias, 2015). Palm oil is used in the manufacture of cosmetics for its properties and because it is cheap. Also, this product is a conditioning agent, making it ideal for use in hair treatment. The ingredients of palm oil moisturize the hair. More importantly, it helps restore the natural oil in human hair that fades as a result of using other chemicals present in most commercial shampoos. One, therefore, should be a proactive consumer of beauty products to find a shampoo without the ingredients of palm oil. Many cosmetics that contain derivatives of palm oil, nonetheless, are not clearly labeled. Palm oil and its derivatives, often, appears in many names, including Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycol Distearate, and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate.

Palm oil in hair shampoos not only act as scalp cleaners, but it also prevents shaft damage. Accordingly, active ingredients of palm oil are added into hair shampoos in different formulations to treat several scalp diseases. Most people like shampoos that contain the components of palm oil, considering that it keeps the hair aesthetically presentable. Also, it enhances the combability of the hair and preserves its softness while treating the scalp. Typically, hair shampoos contain 10-30 active ingredients, although consumers may find some that contain palm oil and only three other derivatives (Fernanda & Dias, 2015).

There are several shampoo products without palm oil. Ethique Company is widely known for making cosmetic products without palm oil. Besides its products being palm oil-free, the company also does not use plastics for packaging its shampoos (Ethique, 2017). For this reason, Ethique is one of the most sustainable businesses because it recognizes the environmental effects of relying on cheap, readily available palm oil. In its website, Ethique describes itself as an eco-friendly company because it operates a sustainable business (Ethique, 2017). The beauty company has a wide range of shampoos without palm oil. So, the choice of consumers depends on their scalp and hair condition. Also, Ethique is ethical in that the derivatives in its shampoos do not strip away natural oils in the hair. Lavender and Cocoa Dry Shampoo products, for instance, contain four different palm oil-free ingredients that can clean the hair and scalps like other cosmetics with palm oil (Ethique, 2017).

There are other companies in the beauty and cosmetics industry that use sustainable palm oil. Examples of these corporations are Avalon Organics, LUSH, Aveda, Green People, Unilever, and Plaine Products. Other ethical companies are Dr. Bronner's, Acure Organics, and Intelligent Nutrition. These corporations are committed to palm oil produced from sustainable sources. More importantly, some of these enterprises provide products free from palm oil.

How to Reduce Palm Print

Consumers of food and cosmetic products manufactured from palm oil should play leading roles in promoting environmental sustainability. They can do so by calling on consumer goods companies to buy inputs from sustainable sources or people that produce the crop responsibly. In this regard, consumers should procure palm products from certified retailers, manufacturers, processors, and traders who value environmental conservation. More importantly, environmentalists should lead consumers in avoiding products containing palm ingredients. These people ought to play leading roles in creating awareness about the adverse effects of buying products from processors that are not committed to sourcing their inputs sustainably.

References

Ashton-Butt, A., Aryawan, A. A. K., Hood, A. S. C., Naim, M., Purnomo, D., Suhardi, Snaddon, J. L. (2018). Understory Vegetation in Oil Palm Plantations Benefits Soil Biodiversity and Decomposition Rates. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 1. doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2018.00010

Ethique. (2017, June 12). Our commitment to sustainability, plastic-free honest trading. Retrieved January 3, 2020, from https://ethique.com/pages/sustainability/url/

Fernanda, M., & Dias, G. (2015). Hair Cosmetics: An Overview. International Journal of Trichology, 7(1), 2. doi:10.4103/0974-7753.153450

May, C. Y., & Nesaretnam, K. (2014). Research Advancements in Palm Oil Nutrition. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, 116(10), 1301-1315. doi: 10.1002/ejlt.201400076

Mukherjee, S., & Mitra, A. (2009). Health Effects of Palm Oil. Journal of Human Ecology, 26(3), 197-203. doi:10.1080/09709274.2009.11906182

Vijay, V., Pimm, S. L., Jenkins, C. N., & Smith, S. J. (2016). The Impacts of Oil Palm on Recent Deforestation and Biodiversity Loss. Plos One, 11(7). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159668