KLM sticks with sustainable palm oil. The Dutch airline has asked its suppliers to only use sustainable palm oil. The aim is to combine the protection of the forests to the promotion of sustainability with the quality that palm oil guarantees.
EU Parochialism
Many EU companies – with the usual parochialism – abandon palm oil purely for commercial reasons, deceiving their own consumers: palm oil is bad for you (untrue) so we’ll remove it, failing to explain that once the palm oil is removed nutritional characteristics do not improve – see our comparative study.
Others remove it because it causes deforestation. Duping consumers yet again. Palm oil plantations are:
- The most productive form of farming;
- Palm oil plants are not among the leading causes of deforestation – so why not also boycott those that are truly the cause of deforestation?
- There is a sustainable palm oil the farming and production of which contributes to the conservation of forests.
The KLM benchmark is very simple
Sustainable palm oil is an ingredient which, if consumed as part of a balanced diet, does not have any health implications. Sustainable palm oil is a guarantee that forests are protected, of biodiversity and local communities. If we were to do away with palm oil we would drive millions of people around the world into ruin. If palm plantations were hypothetically to disappear, they would be replaced with other, less productive and sustainable ones.
Sustainable palm oil is the best choice for guaranteeing the quality of products, health and the environment. KLM has taken a truly responsible decision:
- towards the environment
- towards consumers
- towards the market
Those that abandon palm oil, on the other hand,
- say no to the quality of products
- deceive consumers
- do not improve the environment
The only error committed by KLM is that it has communicated its decision poorly and badly. Let’s hope that it will promote its commitment to sustainable palm oil more effectively.
P.S. The sustainability of palm oil is guaranteed by certification systems which include ISPO and MSPO.
For Free Choice
For Free Choice aims to promote scientific information and method in public discourse. For Free Choice also defends consumers’ choice rights against the smear and demonizing campaigns which aim to confuse them and benefit specific interests.