Palm Oil: Sustainable And Environmentally Friendly

Palm oil is the most widely used edible vegetable oil in the world, so it is essential to establish processes that ensure efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly production. The mission of the European Palm Oil Alliance is to promote the use of palm oil as a sustainable alternative due to its low cost and easy production, which allows it to be implemented in the elaboration of a wide variety of products. Sustainable production is necessary to promote the economic development of producers and refiners by reducing the impact on the biodiversity of the areas where oil palm trees are grown. For this reason, we have created an alliance that involves most of the countries of the European community.

The most versatile edible vegetable oil

When you talk about edible vegetable oils you always think of salads and fried food, but palm oil has much more to offer. We can start by pointing out that thanks to its composition of fatty solids it allows the elaboration of food products free of hydrogenation. Hydrogenation produces trans fats in food causing an increase in bad cholesterol (LDL) and consequently heart problems. As it has no color or odor, palm oil does not change the look or smell of food. This makes it the perfect ally not only in homemade recipes in our kitchens but also in food products such as pasta, powdered milk and ice cream. It is also used in personal care products, cosmetics and in the manufacture of biofuels.

An alliance created to empower

Maintaining palm oil production is vital for human development and the European Palm Oil Alliance is aware of this. Today we are more conscious that we must take care of the environment and the biodiversity that surrounds the oil palm farms. We call this sustainable production. The European Palm Oil Alliance knows that it is possible to increase production while decreasing environmental impact. This is achieved by the combined efforts of the private sector, NGOs, and government coordinated with the common goal of strengthening market conditions that benefit producers and refiners. The European Palm Oil Alliance works closely with European palm oil producing countries to lead a market transformation towards 100% sustainable palm oil production in Europe. Palm oil is considered a fundamental pillar for the world’s economic development and it is therefore essential to succeed in making it a sustainable product.