Study on the Environmental Impact of Palm Oil Consumption

Study on the Environmental Impact of Palm Oil Consumption and on Existing Sustainability Standards

eddieebroke May 18, 2022

0 104 3 minutes read

Background

A case study on palm oil discusses the social, environmental, and economic impact of palm oil production and consumption and also studies the initiatives of existing palm oil sustainability.

It is quite evident that due to palm cultivation the incidents of biodiversity loss, deforestation, and increase in greenhouse gas are getting higher. Besides this, palm oil cultivation and production also encroach on the traditional land of local communities.

Now, there is also another fact that works the support palm oil production. This helps the smallholders to earn higher than any other livelihoods and it makes the rural economy better. An do my assignment Australia service can help to write a study better than ever.

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this palm oil case study are-

Expand the knowledge of the social, environmental, and economic aspects of palm oil production and consumption, the business of palm kernel oil, and the necessary actions taken by EU governments and third parties (India and China).
Analyzing the existing sustainability standard and schemes and studying those thoroughly to find how those are related to environmental components.
Summarizing the initiatives on the basis of EU level and in the EU member states, like India and China to measure the palm oil production and composition.

Economics and Agronomics of Palm Oil

Today, palm oil is one of the main sources of vegetable oil and it has become popular more than soybean oil since 2006. Due to the increasing demand for palm oil around the world, this has become a popular vegetable oil. Cultivating palm oil is also easier as it yields higher than other crops and requires smaller areas than those.

Due to this fact, cultivating oil palm is quite an attractive option for livelihoods for the smallholders. Besides, farmers can cultivate it throughout the year, so the income becomes smoother for them.

Environmental Impacts of Oil Palm

It is a well-known fact that too much production of oil palm will result in deforestation and it has happened mainly in Indonesia and Malaysia. It has become a worldwide concern that oil palm production is causing huge biodiversity loss. When hectares of land are encroaching forests for oil palm production, it causes the loss of several species. Not only the forests, but oil palm production also encroaches on the peatland which is the natural habitat of several endangered species.

Apart from this, there is another concern of palm oil cultivation and that is the emission of greenhouse gas. As there is a change in land use due to oil palm culti犀利士
vation, the emission of greenhouse gas increases a lot which is another important reason for environmental degradation.

Not only deforestation and air pollution due to greenhouse gas, but water pollution is another major environmental impact of oil palm production. Clearing the plantation, discharge of the effluent (POME) from oil meals and release of harmful chemicals can damage the nearby water bodies and thus, human health

Economic and Social Impact of Oil Palm Cultivation

Oil palm cultivation has improved the economic status of many smallholder farmers and also improved the overall economic status of the producer countries. But, still, there are issues that are related to the rights of land use, child labor, forced labor, gender discrimination, health issues of the labor, and many other things.

But, there is no confirmed data on child labor and forced labor in oil palm production. On the other hand, the smallholder farmers earn more than the farmers associated with rice and rubber cultivation. When the income is higher, the social complications are lesser.

Certification Schemes Related to Oil Palm

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)

This scheme was established in 2004 and it was an organization of multi-stakeholders. Till 2017, it had around 3413 member organizations, linked to it.

International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC)

This certification system talks about third-party inclusion, auditing, and accreditation. It has developed an Integrity Program to monitor the performance of the certified companies and certification bodies.

Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO)

This scheme was introduced by the Indonesian Government in 2011. It is designed to bring the Indonesian regulations for oil palm production. And processing of palm oil by the Indonesian companies.