Palm oil often gets a bad reputation, but new research suggests that sustainability is more complicated than simple “good” or “bad” labels.
In a commentary published in Cell Reports Sustainability, conservation scientists argue that all vegetable oils, palm, soybean, olive, coconut, sesame and others, can harm the environment if they’re poorly managed. The problem, they say, lies not in the crops themselves but in how they’re produced and traded.
“Crops don’t destroy forests and other biodiverse habitats; people do,” said Erik Meijaard, a conservation scientist with Borneo Futures and the University of Kent. “We want to bring more nuance to the discussion around vegetable oils, to make consumers aware that there’s nothing simple about it.”
Palm oil has become a global target for criticism because of its role in tropical deforestation and loss of orangutan habitat. But the researchers note that other oils come with their own environmental or human costs. Olive harvesting, for example, kills millions of roosting birds each year and sesame production has been linked to labor violations in parts of Africa.
At the same time, small-scale and traditional palm oil farmers in Central and West Africa manage about 18% of global oil palm land, practices often ignored in global statistics. The scientists say growing scrutiny of palm oil has led parts of the industry to strengthen sustainability standards, showing how pressure can lead to positive change.
“There’s been so much pressure on the palm oil industry to improve sustainability practices, it’s pushed part of, but certainly not the entire industry, into a much better direction,” Meijaard said.
The authors emphasize that for consumers who want to make informed choices, transparency is key. At present, it’s nearly impossible to know where or how most vegetable oils are produced.
“Opaque supply chains within the industry mean that even if you do want to know what the impact of your consumption really is, you can’t,” Meijaard said. “You should be able to walk up to a product with your mobile phone and point at a QR code, and it should be able to tell you whether that product’s production aligns with your values.”
The paper calls for clearer regulations, stronger traceability systems and incentives for companies that adopt verified sustainable practices. It also highlights the role of media and educators in helping the public understand the trade-offs behind food production.
“We need to be much better informed about the trade-offs in any of these polarized debates that are happening around vegetable oils,” Meijaard said.
This commentary was developed with financial support from Soremartec SA and Soremartec Italia, part of the Ferrero Group, within the framework of the company’s Sustainable Nutrition Scientific Board. The authors note that Meijaard is a founder of Borneo Futures and a member of Ferrero’s Sustainable Nutrition Scientific Board.