Sustainable Palm Oil – Trick or Treat?”
Guests:
- Dorle Bahr, Head of Environmental Sustainability & Safety, Beiersdorf AG
- Björn Meyer, Regional Sales Manager, Cargill GmbH
- Ilka Petersen, Communication Landuse & Sustainable Biomass, WWF Germany
Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil on earth and part of every second consumer good. A lot of industries rely on palm oil. Nevertheless, its production causes numerous problems for local ecosystems and communities as well as for the global climate. How do the movement for sustainable palm oil and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) respond to these sustainability issues? Which features should sustainable palm oil have? And will it even make sense to substitute palm oil with other vegetable oils? These were the leading questions of the 10th ‘MIBAS debate on CSR’ event on the 21st of June with the title “Sustainable Palm Oil – Trick or Treat?”. More than 90 students, professors, and guests came together for a lively and knowledge-expanding discussion.
The MIBAS debates team invited three leading experts from the industry and civil society to talk about the topic at hand. Dorle Bahr, Head of Environmental Sustainability & Safety at Beiersdorf AG, presented her insights from the perspective of a consumer goods company. Björn Meyer, Regional Sales Manager of Cargill GmbH, contributed the standpoint on sustainable palm oil from the angle of a palm oil plantation owner and refinery business. Ilka Petersen, Expert for Communication Landuse & Sustainable Biomass of WWF Germany, shared her view from the perspective of a NGO actively involved in the development of sustainable palm oil. The invited experts discussed, argued, and exchanged ideas on multiple aspects and challenges regarding the respective topic.
Mrs. Bahr and Mr. Meyer gave an account of the opportunities that palm oil has for their companies, speaking of its special chemical features and its productivity. Mrs. Petersen on the other hand pointed out the threats for nature and society, that come along with the production of palm oil, for example deforestation and land grabbing. Still, all experts agreed on the fact that other vegetable oils cause a similar or even higher environmental damage while being less productive and having inferior chemical features. They emphasized a missing alternative which is why they all stated, that a sustainably sourced palm oil is the best option at hand. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil was described as a starting point, although only a minimum standard, offering various options towards a more sustainability oil. In general, a cooperation of companies and NGOs is needed as the national governments of the production countries are facing a lot of corruption and regulations are hardly controlled. Mrs. Bahr mentioned aspects that would push more companies towards sustainable palm oil, like an increase in transparency concerning food ingredients as well as enhanced public pressure. One major suggestion from the experts for the consumer was to buy organic palm oil, which is the most sustainable palm oil on today's market.
After an intense and valuable discussion, the guests and experts had the chance to reflect on the debate while enjoying a cold drink. They also took the chance to watch the soccer game Germany-Northern Ireland and enjoyed a delicious meal. The evening can be described as another successful occasion linking insights into sustainable business practices with theoretical knowledge.