The future of palm oil: from confrontation to collaboration

Porritt J., . The future of palm oil: from confrontation to collaboration. pp. 485-496. ISSN 0126-575x

The oil palm industry in South-East Asia has found itself under constant pressure on the last 15 years from environmental and development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) based predominantly in Europe and the USA. Opinions vary as to the effectiveness of that campaigning pressure but few would deny that the industry has significantly transformed both its policies and its practices to reduce its environmental and social impacts on the ground. There is a clear case to be made that it has moved further and faster than other globally-traded commodities during the same period of time and many question why those other industries have not been exposed to the same intensity of campaigning - on deforestation and land use issues in particular. Growers in South-East Asia and else where are angry and mystified; consumers in Europe and the USA largely ignorant as they are of the critically important contribution the oil palm industry makes to hath gross domestic product (GDP) and the lives of millions of people in South-East Asia are confused and easily persuaded that adopting a 'no-palm-oil' position is the most 'responsible' way forward. Building on the revised Principles and Criteria (P C) from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) the author will explore opportunities for reconciling some of todays seemingly intractable confrontations.

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Abstract

The oil palm industry in South-East Asia has found itself under constant pressure on the last 15 years from environmental and development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) based predominantly in Europe and the USA. Opinions vary as to the effectiveness of that campaigning pressure but few would deny that the industry has significantly transformed both its policies and its practices to reduce its environmental and social impacts on the ground. There is a clear case to be made that it has moved further and faster than other globally-traded commodities during the same period of time and many question why those other industries have not been exposed to the same intensity of campaigning - on deforestation and land use issues in particular. Growers in South-East Asia and else where are angry and mystified; consumers in Europe and the USA largely ignorant as they are of the critically important contribution the oil palm industry makes to hath gross domestic product (GDP) and the lives of millions of people in South-East Asia are confused and easily persuaded that adopting a 'no-palm-oil' position is the most 'responsible' way forward. Building on the revised Principles and Criteria (P C) from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) the author will explore opportunities for reconciling some of todays seemingly intractable confrontations.

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Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Available at Perpustakaan Sultan Abdul Samad Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang Selangor Malaysia. S17 P55 Call Number.
AGROVOC Term:	Elaeis
AGROVOC Term:	Elaeis guineensis
AGROVOC Term:	Oil palms
AGROVOC Term:	Palm oils
AGROVOC Term:	Agricultural industry
AGROVOC Term:	Sustainability
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:54
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9123

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