UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA
EKC358 OLEOCHEMICAL PROCESSING
SEMESTER 1, 2023/2024
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT
NAME: R. VIVEKA A/P RAMU
MATRICS NUMBER: 159293
SCHOOL: SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
LECTURER: PROFESSOR TS. CHM. DR. AHMAD ZUHAIRI BIN ABDULLAH
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 7th JANUARY 2024
Deforestation and sustainability is a challenge facing the science and technology of
the palm oil industry. The main topics that concern this issue are environmental degradation,
social concerns, and market viability. The expansion of palm oil has been connected to
significant forestation, a decline in biodiversity, and greenhouse emissions, endangering a
number of the most diverse ecosystems. The palm oil industry’s reputation has been damaged
by land grabbing, labor exploitation, and human rights violations which represents social
challenges for responsible consumers. Apart from that, the European Union (EU) ban puts a
sizeable market for palm oil at risk, which could affect millions of people who work in the
sector and jeopardize its economic stability.
To address the issue of environmental degradation, comparing palm oil with the other
types of oil available is necessary. Crops can be compared based on yields, or the amount of
oil that can be produced on a hectare of land. In comparison to the alternatives, palm oil
achieves a much higher yield. Approximately 2.9 tonnes of palm oil can be produced per
hectare of land. This is approximately four times more than substitutes like sunflower or
rapeseed oil (which yields roughly 0.7 tonnes per hectare) and ten to fifteen times more than
well-liked substitutes like groundnut or coconut oil. This indicates that it produces a
significant amount of oil without consuming a lot of land. Although it only occupied 8.6% of
the land, it produced 36% of our vegetable oil in 2017.
Sunflower oil produced 9% of the total oil and required 8.3% of the land, which is
almost exactly proportionate to the amount of oil produced. Mustard seed oil and rape were
also proportionate. The remaining crops, which include sesame, groundnut, coconut, olive,
and soybean, consumed more land for oil production than they contributed. For instance,
3.6% of the land was needed to produce 1.4% of the world's oil, which came from coconut
oil.
Compared to palm oil, these alternative crops store less CO2 and require a lot more
land to produce the same amount of oil. For example, rapeseed needs more pesticides and
fertilizer and yields four to ten times less oil per unit of land than palm oil. Compared to
alternative crops, net palm oil production is more effective at preventing climate change
through biofuel. Some of these crops have co-products or by-products from their exaction
that meet other demands while providing oil. Nonetheless, the world requires a certain
amount of vegetable oil; therefore, we are concerned with the oil yield per hectare of each
crop, regardless of whether producing co-products is part of the process.
Reducing the amount of land we use for agriculture is essential if we want to lessen
our influence on the environment. We have been displacing forests, grasslands, and peatlands
—areas rich in biodiversity—to create room for more croplands and pastures. It would be
preferable if we could farm on less land. Because palm oil yields are so high, it effectively
"spares" the world the additional farmland that would be required to meet the world's oil
demand from other sources. This can be understood in terms of the area of land required if a
single crop were to supply all of the world's needs for vegetable oil.
The world would have to use more farmland and pay the associated environmental
costs if it switched to alternatives. A global boycott of palm oil would not solve the issue;
instead, it would cause the demand for the product to shift globally and more extensively,
requiring more land.
In 1973, 75% of these plantations were on formerly forested land. In Malaysia, direct
deforestation for palm oil accounted for 60% of the deforestation, compared to only 16% in
Indonesia. According to a global study on deforestation caused by palm oil, 45 percent of oil
palm plantations in Southeast Asia originated from forest areas in 1989. This was 40% in
Malaysia and 54% in Indonesia. Nonetheless, the amount of deforestation is reducing every
year as the existing plantation areas are used back once replantation is needed.
What the world needs to understand is that the countries importing palm oil goods
include developed countries in the EU. The ban by the EU on biofuel usage by 2030 can be
considered hypocrisy as they are developed countries but their biofuel imports come from
developing countries. It would be considered having double standards or a ‘crop apartheid’.
Applying different standards to developing countries such as Southeast Asia raises
legitimate concerns, given the EU's history of deforestation and continued use of converted
land. It can be interpreted as an instance of "do as I say, not as I do," undermining their
credibility and moral authority when they promote sustainability. Developed nations, such as
those in the EU, experienced economic expansion and industrialization that had a major
negative influence on the environment, notably deforestation. But this was back when there
were fewer laws and less concern for the environment. Although many developing countries
are currently industrializing, they are under pressure to meet stricter environmental
regulations set by developed nations, frequently without having the same opportunity to
develop with less impact.
Some may even argue that because palm oil is widely used in processed foods and
biofuels, the focus on it, while justified from an environmental standpoint, is merely a
convenient target. Conversely, less attention is paid to other crops that have a big
environmental impact, like soy and meat production, which are frequently consumed in
greater quantities within the EU. This begs the question of whether political and economic
agendas or legitimate environmental concerns are driving the ban.
Developed nations, such as those in the EU, have historically been more accountable
for climate change and deforestation. Even though they currently support sustainability, their
previous behavior has contributed to the environmental problems that developing nations
face. The argument about hypocrisy becomes even more complex in light of this historical
background.
As awareness of the ecological effects of certain practices has grown, the EU and
other developed countries have implemented stricter environmental regulations over time.
These rules are intended to prevent additional harm to the environment and to advance
sustainability. However, for a variety of reasons, such as differing developmental priorities
and economic limitations, some developing countries may not have reached the same level of
regulation.
Realizing and acknowledging that many nations are still in the process of developing
is vital. It can be difficult to strike a balance between sustainable practices and economic
growth, particularly when social development, employment, and infrastructure are in high
demand.
Nonetheless, countries have been taking action towards making palm oil more
sustainable. The Malaysian government’s self-imposed national cap of 6.5 million hectares
planted with oil palm for the years 2019–2023 has managed to slow the growth of oil palm
expansion. Since 2016, Malaysia has been losing less of its primary forests. Malaysia has also
implemented the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) which aims to address
environmental, social, and economic aspects of palm oil production. It is seen to be on par
with the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and for Malaysia, MSPO is regarded to be
more thorough and comprehensive. Malaysia has 940,000 hectares of RSPO-certified palm
oil plantations and 245,000 hectares of MSPO-certified plantations. 92 mills are RSPO-
certified and 23 MSPO-certified.
Despite what has just been said, researchers should consider assessing the
performance of current sustainability initiatives such as certification schemes. Researchers
should evaluate how well deforestation is reduced and sustainable practices are promoted in
the palm oil industry by employing certification programs such as RSPO and MSPO.
Researchers should also examine how well laws and policies from the government are
preventing the destruction of forests for the production of palm oil, taking into account
protected areas, land-use planning, and incentives for sustainable activities. They should also
examine the traceability and monitoring system that is currently available. They should assess
how well satellite tracking and traceability systems work to confirm adherence to
sustainability guidelines and pinpoint areas of deforestation.
Another way researchers can address this issue is by oil palms generating higher
yields. This means researching ways to increase palm oil yield per hectare to reduce land
demand and to develop palm oil varieties that have higher resistance towards pests and
diseases to reduce their dependence on fertilizers and pesticides. The best way to limit
agricultural growth, to increase crop yields is through better varieties, efficient management
techniques, and selection of the most productive land areas.
Implementing agroforestry systems is another way to encompass sustainability in
palm oil plantations. Agroforestry is the intentional integration of shrubs and trees in crop
and animal farming systems to produce positive effects on the environment, the economy,
and society. In this case, research should be conducted to explore the integration of oil palm
with other crops or trees to create a more diverse and sustainable plantation as it maximizes
land usage. The possibility of combining palm oil with other plants or trees to build more
sustainable and varied plantations that are less dependent on monoculture systems should also
be taken into serious consideration.
Addressing the EU’s biofuel ban and any possible consequences is another important
measure that needs to be taken. First and foremost, countries that will be affected by the ban
should have an impact assessment. They should analyze the possible economic and social
impacts that would be caused by the ban and should also look into alternative markets and
applications of palm oil. Countries affected should consider life cycle assessments and
environmental impact when exploring alternative policy options for promoting sustainable
biofuels without penalizing specific crops, in this case, palm oil. They should also evaluate
the possible spillover effects and unforeseen consequences of the EU's ban, stressing the
necessity of global collaboration and collaborative approaches involving multiple
stakeholders to advance sustainable palm oil cultivation.
A wide range of stakeholders are involved in this combination of interventions, from
palm oil growers, governments, retailers, consumers, food and cosmetic manufacturers, and
agricultural scientists who are enhancing crop varieties. Growers may feel pressure from their
customers. A clearer understanding for consumers is necessary to accomplish this effectively.
Many think the best way to change things is to boycott palm oil. However, as we've seen, the
alternatives aren't always better; instead, we should advocate for more sustainably produced
palm oil that is used for food rather than fuel.
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