Using sustainable palm oil helps protect the world’s valuable rainforests, wildlife and the rights of local peoples. There are environmental issues associated with the production of other vegetable oils which can be as serious, or worse, than palm oil. Substituting palm oil for other oils would therefore not necessarily be beneficial.

In 2012 Defra published the UK statement on sustainable production of palm oil, which set out the overarching ambition that the UK would work towards achieving 100% sourcing of credibly certified sustainable palm oil by the end of 2015. The statement was signed by trade associations representing key palm oil using sectors including retailers, food and drink manufacturers, oil processors and distributors, animal feed manufacturers, the catering and hospitality sector, the renewable energy sector, the cleaning products industry, and the speciality chemicals sector, as well as by NGOs and Government.

Since 2012 considerable progress has been made towards achieving the statement’s ambition, with substantial increases in the percentage of UK palm oil imports accounted for by certified sustainable palm oil. The most recent reports setting out progress under the Statement to 2014 can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-statement-on-sustainable-palm-oil-three-years-on-progress-report. The final consumption analysis and progress reports, including 2015 data, will be published shortly.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs