What is PALM-ALT? A healthier and more eco-friendly alternative to palm oil
The global need for palm oil, a common ingredient in food and cosmetics, has long been a source of worry due to its association with deforestation. PALM-ALT, a Scottish research team from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, believes it has discovered the code to a sustainable alternative. The Read More...
Eco-friendly algae oil could finally solve palm oil's drawbacks
From food to cosmetics, palm oil can be found in countless products today, making it the world’s most widely used vegetable oil. As you may know, though, palm oil is far from environmentally friendly. Additionally, experts have raised concerns about palm oil’s effects on our health. Soon, Read More...
Indonesia provides a roadmap for halting deforestation
Deforestation continues to be one of the biggest environmental crises facing our world but looking at countries with effective deforestation mitigation policies can help us map out what saving the earth’s forests looks like on a global scale. One country that serves as a case study for turning Read More...
Synthetic palm oil could significantly reduce deforestation
Palm oil is a common ingredient in far more packaged foods than you may think. Globally, 82 million US tons of palm oil are consumed annually. Unfortunately, it’s also responsible for some of the most destructive deforestation in rainforests around the world. The biotech industry thinks it may Read More...
A biotech company is using emissions to produce a palm oil substitute
Lipids and omega-3s serve as the foundation for many foods and fuel, but the problem is that they are typically produced in ways that are damaging to the planet. For instance, omega-3 fatty acids are usually sourced from farmed fish, which are commonly fed smaller, wild-caught fish. This is Read More...
UK to ban products sourced from illegally logged areas
Whether you know it or not, your shopping habits can inadvertently play a role in environmental crimes such as illegal logging. In a quest to stop metaphorically “importing” the problem of deforestation, the government of the UK has passed new laws that should help prevent consumers from buying Read More...
This Bill Gates-backed startup is growing palm oil in a lab
On a typical trip to the grocery store, you probably buy at least one product made with palm oil, which is found in everything from shampoo and detergent to pizza dough, ice cream, and instant ramen. It’s the most widely used vegetable oil in the world, with 75.7 million metric tons of production Read More...
Could used coffee grounds hold the key to replacing palm oil?
If you look at the list of ingredients on the labels of your household products, chances are most of them have palm oil included on the list. The problem with palm oil is that it leads to mass deforestation in Southeast Asia, devastating areas that once teemed with life. In search of a solution, a Read More...
Subsidies for biofuel from palm oil have been banned in the EU
Palm oil and other biofuels from agricultural crops were initially heralded as the main tool by which the EU could decarbonize road transport and were given generous subsidies over a decade ago. Now we look at palm oil very differently as increasing evidence shows that biofuels from agricultural Read More...
'Non-ethical' palm oil use discouraged
The Welsh Government says it will work to discourage businesses from using "non-ethical" palm oil in their products and manufacturing processes. Economy Secretary Ken Skates has said he wants to follow the lead of Greenpeace and supermarket firm Read More...