Palmöl

Palmöl hat viele Vorteile. Das Pflanzenöl sorgt in vielen Lebensmitteln für die richtige Struktur und Konsistenz. Der neutrale Geschmack, seine Hitzestabilität und seine breite Vielseitigkeit in der Lebensmittelherstellung machen dieses Öl für die Industrie sehr attraktiv. Zudem ist die Ölpalme sehr ergiebig. Sie braucht weniger Land als jede andere Ölpflanze, ist weniger krankheitsanfällig als andere Kulturpflanzen und kann bis zu dreissig Jahre lang konstante Erträge liefert. Das macht Palmöl günstiger als konkurrierende Öle.

Effizienz der Landnutzung bei der Pflanzenölproduktion 2021

Weltweiter Palmölboom

Die Palmölproduktion hat sich in den letzten 20 Jahren mehr als verdreifacht. Indonesien und Malaysia sind für 84% der weltweiten Produktion verantwortlich. Palmöl ist heute das meistverwendete pflanzliche Öl weltweit.

Weltweite Produktion von pflanzlichen Ölsaaten in Millionen Tonnen 2023

Vital income

In many tropical countries, palm oil production has driven rural development. Globally, palm oil is an important source of income for more than 7 million people. Although the cultivation areas of smallholder farms are small compared to industrial plantations, in Malaysia and Indonesia alone, small-scale production accounts for about 40 % of the total palm oil cultivation area (RSPO).

Decline in palm oil imports

In 2023, Switzerland imported 12’100 tons of crude palm oil and palm kernel oil for the food industry.

In 2023, the distribution of imports was as follows:

• Solomon Islands 37,8 %
• Ivory Coast 25,6 %
• Malaysia 18,9 %
• Papua New Guinea 7,7 %
• Other 10 %

The problem

In the wake of the global palm oil boom, new plantations are being created not only in Indonesia and Malaysia but also in other tropical countries, such as Papua New Guinea, Colombia, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. New palm oil plantations often replace valuable tropical rainforests, thus robbing many species of their habitats. Slash-and-burn agriculture and the draining of peat swamp forests are releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. New plantations often also trigger conflicts over land use.

Sustainability

To limit the destruction of species-rich tropical forests, producers, financial institutions, civil society organisations, industry and trade founded the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004.

In 2021, more than 15 million tonnes, or 19% of global palm oil production, was RSPO certified. Estimates suggest that 20-25% of global production is certified according to a sustainability standard. This means that globally the majority of palm oil is still produced and traded without standards.

Today RSPO has more than 5000 member organisations in 100 countries. Over 168’000 smallholder farms are already RSPO certified, 6% more than in 2020. In 2021, RSPO saved as many greenhouse gas emissions as over 320’000 cars on the road.

Alternatives

Switzerland’s palm oil imports have declined because manufacturers are partly switching to alternative oils derived from soybeans, coconut, sunflower or rapeseed. A transition from palm oil to other oils, however, does not solve the problem because the alternatives are hardly any better: coconut plantations would have to be created in the Philippines and Indonesia. Likewise, soy plantations would have to be created in South America. Moreover, to produce one litre of oil from sunflower or rapeseed, a much larger area is required for the cultivation these crops.