Project P.A.L.M.

The Problem

Many people have heard of palm oil, but don’t know how much is really in our daily products. Oil palm is planted as a monoculture, causing astounding forest loss that impacts 193 endangered species. In Sumatra, oil palm is a major threat to the Gunung Leuser Ecosystem. This UNESCO World Heritage site is home to 750+ species of animals, 10,000+ plant species and 4 million people who depend on it! So why don’t we just stop planting it? Well, it’s not that simple. Mass importers of palm oil create a huge demand. Yet, oil palm has a high yield on less land, so alternatives could exacerbate biodiversity loss. It feels impossible to avoid since there are over 200 names for palm oil! What about sustainable palm oil? Certified palm oil through the RSPO is only 19% of world production. Consumers have power to create the demand for sustainable palm oil. However, many people have either A.) never heard of RSPO, B.) don’t trust that palm oil can be sustainable or C.) are so overwhelmed that “palm oil is in everything” that making alternative purchases is longer a priority. The latter is a feeling that afflicts even the most passionate environmentalists. Most people aren’t aware of the RSPO trademark or the current palm oil app. And for some, the app isn’t clear enough on where exactly the palm oil is in their product or how the company is certified. Additionally, many people don’t think their support of sustainable palm oil has a real impact in preserving places like Gunung Leuser.

Our Proposal

Sustainable palm oil needs to be easier to find and a proud choice for consumers. Enter: Project P.A.L.M. where P.A.L.M. stands for “Palm Oil Action Plan for the Leuser Mawas.” One, we propose a new logo for sustainable palm oil that is eye-catching and emotionally appealing through the words “orangutan-friendly” and an orangutan graphic. This will connect people to conservation and allow for social campaigns. We can also include a brief story of a Leuser orangutan on the product. Second, we will create an app to find the alternative palm oil names by scanning the ingredients list. This will please those who prefer to avoid palm oil, but will also have options to search for orangutan friendly products by type or through a “search by location.” People can share their purchases online from the app with an automatic action statement about helping orangutans. Also on the app are guides on palm oil, Gunung Leauser, and orangutans. Lastly, they can use the app to search how brands become certified. Third, the logo and app will promote a “1 purchase = 1 tree planted” campaign towards agroforestry plots in Leuser. These plots will provide resources and employment opportunities, contribute to global carbon sequestration, and restore habitat. We will help family owners of smallholder plantations take pride in sustainable palm oil by featuring them on a website and creating signs displaying the orangutan friendly logo for their land. These 3 steps will help save Leuser rainforests.

We Assume that...

1. Consumers want to buy sustainable palm oil products and use the app.

2. Brands want to become certified sustainable palm oil users.

3. Oil palm plantation owners, especially small-scale owners, want to achieve the sustainable certification.

4. We can collaborate with RSPO to distribute a new logo on certified sustainable products and reach out to more companies.

5. We can collaborate with organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance to establish agroforestry plots in Gunung Leuser.

Constraints to Overcome

Using sustainable palm oil is not normalized yet and there are biases towards its transparency. We do need to use less palm oil in the future; however, we also need actions now that address the reality of its global presence. Especially because world production went from 4.5 million tonnes in 1980 to 70 million tonnes in 2014, most of it for food products. The demand is expected to increase in the future. Yet, compared to other oil sources, palm oil has a much higher yield on less land, meaning that switching to other alternatives could exacerbate future biodiversity loss. This reason may be why so much oil palm is currently planted. If we try to avoid buying products that contain palm oil, it can feel nearly impossible. That’s because there are over 200 names palm oil can take on an ingredient list! Surely, no one can be expected to memorize all of those. To find sustainable palm oil, it is not that easy either due to limited awareness on it and limited visual cues on products.

Current Work

First, we will design a finished version of the logo. We will do even more thorough research into the Rainforest Alliance logo, the green frog. This will be a great model for us as the Rainforest Alliance logo guides consumers to make sustainable purchases through successful media campaigns such as #followthefrog. Second, we will create a prototype version of the app. We will first test the ability to scan an ingredients list and pick out the alternative names for palm oil. This feature will need to be tested on several different products of various packaging to ensure its success. We will conduct a pre-survey to determine the general public’s current understanding of palm oil and their receptiveness towards sustainable palm oil. Previously, one team member conducted a small scale version of this survey through social media, however, her audience is primarily young conservationists. We will want to find a way to reach a wider and more broad group of people within one country at a time.

Current Needs

We will need people with expertise in graphic design, app development, and website design. We will want to hire professionals to design the logo and develop the app as we do not have these skills ourselves. A website will be essential to the project. We will likely need assistance with creating and sending out a broad survey. Most importantly, we will need connections with experts from the Rainforest Alliance and the RSPO. We will want to propose our new logo to the RSPO so that the logo may be distributed on certified products. We will likely need coaching on pitching our idea. We may even want to network with the Orangutan Alliance as they currently produce a palm oil free certification. Their audience may be interested in using our app to scan products for palm oil. To establish agroforesty plots in Gunung Leuser we believe a collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance would turn this vision into a successful reality as they excel in international agribusiness.