Balancing trade-offs for sustainable oil-palm production

We have contributed to a new review article in Nature Plants on the environmental impacts and trade-offs of palm oil production, and how it compares to other oil crops. One out of 10 products we consume contains palm oil - from cookies and pizza dough to makeup, soap, animal feed, and biodiesel. Palm oil has become hugely controversial as its production has expanded across Southeast Asia and more recently the Neotropics, and parts of equatorial Africa, where it originates from. While it has been responsible for large areas of deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia, where 90% of palm oil is produced, oil palm production has also brought huge social and economic benefits to the region, lifting many out of poverty.

In particular, it produces more oil per land area compared to other oil crops, such as rapeseed and soy (see figure below). The review provides an overview of the environmental, societal and economic impacts and opportunities of palm oil production, and highlights that more research is needed into the costs and benefits of alternative oil producing crops. This is particularly important as demand for global demand for vegetable oils continues to increase and we are forced to make decisions about land use and food security.