Palm Oil

One can find palm oil in many products of our daily consumption and the global demand is constantly increasing. In Germany, palm oil can be found in products in all sectors: the food industry and the animal feed sector the chemical industry and even in the energy sector. Indonesia and Malaysia produce 84 per cent of the world's palm oil. In many cases, oil palm plantations are managed by companies, but oil palm cultivation is also a relevant source of income for millions of independent smallholder farmers.  

For new cultivation areas primary forests continue to be cleared which lead to the loss of ecosystems and biodiversity as well as the release of emissions through deforestation and the cultivation on peat. Social risks such as human rights violations on oil palm plantations and poor living and working conditions for smallholder farmers families also occur. To mitigate these risks more and more companies in Europe are moving toward certified palm oil with the aim of promoting sustainable agricultural supply chains.  

Focusing on palm oil through the promotion of sustainable supply chains, the Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil (FONAP e.V.) was founded in 2015. Since then, FONAP is committed to more sustainable palm oil cultivation in the countries of origin and the support of smallholder farmers. The aim is to increase certified sustainable palm oil to respect human rights and uphold them along the entire supply chain.