Orangutans & Palm Oil

Protect Wild Orangutans.

Discover complex issues about orangutans and palm oil, from endangered species to reforestation and biodiversity. Find responsible, sustainable conservation choices to support wildlife and wild places.

What is palm oil?
  • Palm oil is a form of edible vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the African oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis). It is inexpensive and efficient, making it the world’s most widely used vegetable oil.
  • African oil palms originated in West Africa, but can flourish wherever heat and rainfall are abundant. The majority of all palm oil is grown and produced in Borneo and Sumatra, although this crop is expanding into Africa and other equatorial areas such as Latin America.
  • You probably eat and use palm oil every day; it is found in about 50% of the products you can buy from the grocery store. It is found in many foods, cosmetics and bath products.
  • Demand for palm oil is rapidly increasing because of trans-fat health concerns and bio-fuel development.

What's the problem?

  1. Supply and demand pressures are driving the production of palm oil up to an all-time high. Found in cookies, crackers, frozen dinners, shampoo, lotions, cosmetics, pet food, and many other products, palm oil is now the most widely produced edible oil.
  2. When done sustainably, palm oil is our best option for an edible vegetable oil, requiring less land, pesticides and fertilizers than other oil alternatives. When done unsustainably, millions of acres of rainforest in Borneo & Sumatra are cut down each year to plant more oil palm.
  3. The increased demand for non-sustainable palm oil is fueling destruction of the rainforest where Sumatran, Bornean and Tapanuli orangutans live. If something isn’t done soon to stop the spread of non-sustainable palm oil plantations, orangutans and many other endangered species will be in peril.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is continuing to create solutions to ensure that the palm oil you consume is sustainable. Learn more below about how you can support orangutans and palm oil by using companies committed to sustainable palm oil that is deforestation-free.

What Can You Do?

Why not boycott?
  • Oil palms are the most productive type of all the edible oil crops. Oil palms produce 4-10 times more oil per acre than other crops like soy or canola. In this way, palm oil can be a more environmentally friendly oil, because less land is needed to produce the same amount of oil.
  • Indonesia and Malaysia are developing countries and palm oil is a huge part of the economy. Without it, millions of additional people would be unemployed.
  • There will always be a demand for edible oil, and demand is growing due to worldwide population growth. Palm oil is in many of the items we eat and use every day. If we boycott palm oil, another crop will take its place.
  • If grown the right way – sustainably – palm oil can be the best choice for vegetable oil. It does not seem effective or realistic to boycott.
  • Palm oil and its derivatives have more than 600+ different names on product labels. This makes it difficult for consumers to know if products contain palm oil.

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