Orangutan Friendly Products

Loss of habitat is the greatest threat facing orangutans today with up to 80% of suitable rainforest home in Indonesia and Malaysia having been destroyed in the past 20 years.

There are two major drivers behind the deforestation – the palm oil and timber industries.

Here is a quick buyer’s guide on what products you should avoid along with clean conscience alternatives. 

Palm Oil

Palm oil is found in many everyday products on the supermarket shelves including ice cream, chocolate, margarine, biscuits, chips, soaps, toothpastes, laundry powders and cosmetics. More recently it has found a new source of demand as a biofuel.

In foods it is often labelled vegetable oil or fat. In cosmetics it goes under a number of names including elaeis guineensis, sodium lauryl sulphate, cetyl alcohol and stearic acid.

To read more about palm oil, click here.

Is there such a thing as sustainable palm oil?

The answer is yes but it is unlikely to be in the products you are buying currently. The first independently audited certified sustainable palm oil was produced in November 2008. It comprises about 3-4% of total production but initial sales have been slow due to the price premium.

Many manufacturers will point to membership of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) as being proof of their use of sustainable palm oil. This is not the case with membership only requiring a commitment to “working towards” sustainable production.

Remember - there are usually alternatives to a product with palm oil.

To find a list of products in high risk categories which are palm oil free, click here.

Timber products

10 March 2010
It is no secret that orangutans are threatened with extinction because their rain forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Ten years ago, Shawn Thompson, a writer, former journalist and university professor, set out to chronicle the threat to orangutans in a book released in March 2010. Read Article »

10 March 2010
Research into the long calls of male Orangutans in Borneo has given scientists new insight into how these solitary apes communicate through dense jungle. Read Article »

2 March 2010
'Environmentally-friendly' biofuels have been found to be more harmful to the planet than normal fossil fuel. Read Article »

22 February 2010
BBC documentary shows Indonesian company clearing protected rainforest.

18 February 2010
Gorillas, orang-utans and a cyanide-eating lemur are among the world’s 25 most critically endangered primates, scientists have said. Read Article »

5 February 2010
The European Commission and some EU member states hope to redefine palm oil plantations as "forests," according to a leaked document from the EU executive. Read Article »

26 January 2010
Project to create sustainable palm oil project undermined by Western firms

25 January 2010
Payments to developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation will only succeed if corruption and lack of financial management capacity are addressed, says new report. Read Article »